Vitamin K is an essential nutrient that makes sure your blood clots. Vitamin K promises a lot of health benefits. Most famous is its role in helping maintain strong bones and prevent fractures. In fact, people who are low in vitamin K are more likely to break bones than those who have higher amounts of it in their systems. The best sources of vitamin K are found in vegetables and fruit such as dark leafy greens, broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts. But look further in the list below to see the top 10 vitamin K rich foods you should be eating every day.
Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays an important role in blood clotting.
Vitamin K is found in green leafy vegetables, such as kale and spinach. Other sources include broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower.
Vitamin K is also found in fermented foods, including sauerkraut and miso.
The following chart shows the amount of vitamin K in some common fruits and vegetables:
The best vegetable sources of vitamin K are leafy greens, such as spinach and kale. However, there are other vegetables that contain small amounts of this vitamin.
If you’re looking for a concentrated source of vitamin K, look no further than the following 12 foods:
Kale: 1 cup serving provides over 1,000% of the daily recommended intake (RDI)
Spinach: 1 cup serving provides over 700% of the RDI
Collard greens: 1 cup serving provides over 500% of the RDI
Broccoli: 1 cup serving provides over 300% of the RDI
The richest sources of vitamin K are leafy green vegetables, such as arugula, spinach, kale and broccoli. Other good sources include cabbage, Brussels sprouts and asparagus.
Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for blood clotting, bone health and heart health. It helps blood vessels to contract properly and maintain healthy blood pressure levels.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), foods high in vitamin K include:
Leafy green vegetables, such as spinach and kale
Cruciferous vegetables (such as broccoli), cauliflower and cabbage
Asparagus
Fruits such as avocado and papaya
Vitamin K, also called menadione, is a fat-soluble vitamin. It’s required for normal blood clotting and bone health. Vitamin K also helps keep arteries flexible and can help to prevent cardiovascular disease.
Vitamin K is found in some foods and produced by bacteria in the intestines. Green leafy vegetables have the most vitamin K, but it’s also found in other foods such as spinach, broccoli and some cheeses. Some breakfast cereals are fortified with vitamin K.
Vitamin K Deficiency Causes
Vitamin K deficiency is rare in healthy people because the body stores some of what you eat each day for future use. However, it can occur if your diet doesn’t contain enough of this nutrient or if you take certain medications that interfere with its absorption or metabolism.
Vitamin K Deficiency Symptoms
The most common symptom of low vitamin K levels is excessive bleeding (hemorrhage). This can happen after surgery or injury, or spontaneously when bleeding inside organs causes them to rupture (ruptured organ). Excessive bleeding may also occur during pregnancy and childbirth; this can be life threatening for both mother and baby but usually responds well
The following are high in vitamin K:
• Collard greens – 1 cup cooked, boiled collards have 459 micrograms of vitamin K.
• Kale – 1 cup cooked, boiled kale has 533 micrograms of vitamin K.
• Spinach – 1 cup cooked, boiled spinach has 805 micrograms of vitamin K.
The best sources of vitamin K are leafy green vegetables. The most common source are kale and spinach. However, there are many other healthy options as well.
Vegetables High In Vitamin K
The following table lists a number of vegetables high in vitamin K:
Vegetable Serving Size Amount of Vitamin K (mcg)
Broccoli 1 cup 84
Turnip greens 1 cup 83
Brussels sprouts ½ cup 69
Collard greens ½ cup 61
Asparagus 6 spears 45
Radishes 1 medium 14
The best food sources of vitamin K include leafy green vegetables, such as kale and spinach, as well as broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage. Natto is a Japanese food made from fermented soybeans that are rich in vitamin K2. Other good sources include mustard greens, collard greens and turnip greens.
The following foods are high in vitamin K:
Spinach: 1 cup has over 200% of your daily value (DV).
Broccoli: 1 cup has over 180% DV.
Kale: 1 cup has over 150% DV.
Collard Greens: 1 cup has nearly 150% DV.
The following table lists the most common sources of vitamin K. It is not a complete list and it does not include all fruits, vegetables, or other foods that contain vitamin K.
The recommended daily intake for adults is 90 micrograms (µg), according to the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University.
Food source Vitamin K content per 100 gram serving (3.5 ounces)
Spinach (cooked) 1,360 micrograms (mcg)
Collard greens (cooked) 880 mcg
Kale (cooked) 660 mcg
Broccoli (cooked) 635 mcg
Brussels sprouts (cooked) 550 mcg
Asparagus (cooked) 521 mcg
Swiss chard (cooked) 474 mcg
The vitamin K family consists of several different compounds, but the one that’s most important for human health is menaquinone-4, or MK-4. This form of vitamin K2 is produced by bacteria in the gut, and it’s the only form that has been shown to be absorbed into the bloodstream at significant levels.
The best sources of vitamin K are leafy greens like kale, spinach, collard greens and Swiss chard. Other good sources include certain types of cheeses (like Gouda), eggs and fermented soy products like natto.
Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) is found in leafy green vegetables such as kale and spinach. It’s also present in broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and romaine lettuce.
Vitamin K2 exists in two forms: MK-7 and MK-8. MK-7 is produced by bacteria in the gut when they consume certain types of sugars called menaquinones or menaquinols — hence its name (MK). These bacteria then produce MK-7 as a byproduct of their metabolism, which they release into our intestines where it can be absorbed by our bodies.
Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that is important for blood clotting and bone health.
There are two major forms of vitamin K: vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) and vitamin K2 (menaquinones). Vitamin K1 is found in leafy green vegetables, while vitamin K2 can be synthesized by bacteria in the gut or obtained from animal products such as liver.
Vitamin K Deficiency
Vitamin K deficiency is very rare, but it can occur in people with decreased intake (such as vegetarians) or increased excretion (such as those taking certain medications). Vitamin K deficiency results in abnormal bleeding and bruising because it affects blood clotting. It can also cause osteoporosis because it plays a role in bone mineralization.