Vitamin K is a nutrient important for blood coagulation. When you have problems with blood clotting or need to take blood thinners, you may need to monitor your diet to make sure your diet is not too high in vitamin K, so it does not interfere with the medications. Only a few vegetables contain no vitamin K. Knowing which vegetables contain none of this nutrient is the key to developing your meal plan correctly.
Mushrooms
Mushrooms are an excellent choice for your diet when you need to avoid vitamin K. A 1-cup serving of mushrooms contains 0 mg of this vitamin, but mushrooms are far from nutritionally empty. Mushrooms are a good source of riboflavin and niacin, both B vitamins that aid your body in converting food to energy. The riboflavin in mushrooms is important for red blood cell production, and impacts the production of sex hormones and blood circulation. You won't take in vitamin K by eating mushrooms, but you will boost your B vitamin intake.
Bamboo Shoots
Bamboo shoots, a crisp, tender vegetable that is a type of grass is used in Asian cuisine, contains no vitamin K and makes a good choice for blood thinner diets due to its otherwise high vitamin and mineral content. A 1-cup serving of bamboo shoots provides 805 mg of potassium, a mineral useful for heart function, as well as 0.4 mg of manganese, which you need for good fertility. Additionally, bamboo shoots are a source of vitamin B-6, thiamin, zinc and vitamin C.
Fennel
Fennel, a bulb vegetable common in Italian cooking, also goes by the name finocchio or anise, and it has no vitamin K. A good vegetable to eat when you cannot have vitamin K in your diet, it is quite high in other nutrients. A 1-cup serving of this vegetable is a good source of vitamin C, containing 10.4 mg of the vitamin, which makes fennel a smart choice for boosting collagen production and improving your skin quality. Fennel also provides 360 mg of potassium and smaller quantities of manganese, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium and niacin.
Turnips
Raw turnips are a crisp, tasty vegetable for snacking or as a side dish when you must avoid vegetables containing vitamin K. While turnips do contain a trace amount of this vitamin, the content is so low it counts as a no-vitamin K vegetable. It is high in other nutrients, though -- particularly vitamin C. A 1-cup serving of turnips provides 27.3 mg of this vitamin, a significant portion of the amount you require daily. Only eat the bulb of turnip, as turnip greens are high in vitamin K.
References
- NYU Medical Center; Warfarin; March 2002
- USDA National Nutrient Database: Mushrooms, White, Raw
- MedlinePlus: B Vitamins
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin); June 2009
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Vitamin B3 (Niacin); June 2009
- Washington State University; Bamboo Shoots; Caitlin Blethen, et al.; 2001
Member Comments