You can easily cook with vitamin K by altering your favorite recipes or adding new elements to your menus. Natural sources of vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) provide an adequate amount for healthy people. The American Cancer Society explains that only people with a vitamin K deficiency need to consider supplements. Consult your doctor if you take the blood thinner warfarin or have any other health condition before adjusting your vitamin K consumption. If you can safely add vitamin K, your method of cooking can only enhance its appeal.
Step 1
Include spinach, one of the richest sources of vitamin K1, in your favorite baked recipes. Add a layer of spinach to your favorite lasagna or create a spinach quiche. The USDA National Nutrient Database indicates that 1 cup of cooked spinach contains 888.5 mcg of vitamin K1. Since adequate intake for adult men requires 120 mcg and for women 90 mcg, adding spinach to your casseroles and other baked dishes easily provides the vitamin K you need.
Step 2
Stir-fry vitamin K-rich vegetables in a wok. Adding broccoli florets or sliced cabbage to the hot oil adds significant amounts of vitamin K. The oil itself -- particularly soybean oil, followed by canola and olive oil -- contains moderate amounts of vitamin K1. Sliced red peppers and miniature carrots add color to wok creations, providing even more of the vitamin.
Step 3
Steam vegetables to create aesthetically pleasing and flavorful sources of vitamin K1 with less added fat. Brussels sprouts and asparagus qualify as nutrient-rich choices.
Step 4
Sauté scallions -- green onions -- to add a significant amount of vitamin K1 to your morning omelet. The eggs themselves add a little as well. Use soft margarine that lists oil as its main ingredient, rather than butter. Unlike butter, margarine contains moderate amounts of vitamin K1. Avoid hydrogenated margarine when you sauté vegetables because hydrogenation may cause loss of absorption, according to the Linus Pauling Institute.
Step 5
Create warm salads to supplement your intake. After grilling chicken, for instance, place it on a bed of vitamin K-rich lettuce, including Boston, green leaf or romaine varieties. Alternatively, place your grilled salmon on a bed of spinach. Although the chicken and salmon contain only minute amounts of vitamin K, the greens more than compensate.
Step 6
Bake desserts containing vitamin K1. For example, fill standard pie crusts with blueberries, blackberries and pumpkin to create vitamin K-rich treats.
Step 7
Incorporate new foods to your diet when cooking for vitamin K content. If you have not tasted collard greens or turnip greens, some of the richest sources of vitamin K1, boil them and add a dab of margarine. You can also try miso, a pasty soybean mixture, to create a tasty soup.
Things You'll Need
- Vitamin K1-rich vegetables
- Vitamin K1-rich cooking oils
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
- Pumpkin
- Pie crust
- Miso
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