Warfarin is a pill that you take regularly to help prevent blood clots or to keep a clot from getting bigger. Coumadin is the common brand name for warfarin.
To ensure that warfarin is effectively thinning your blood, it's important to eat about the same amount of vitamin K every day.
So warfarin and vitamin K work against each other in your body. That is why, when you take warfarin, it's important that you not suddenly eat a lot more or a lot less vitamin K-rich food than you usually do.
It's up to you how much vitamin K you choose to eat. For example, if you already eat a lot of leafy green vegetables, that's fine. Just keep it about the same amount each day.
And if you take a multivitamin that contains vitamin K, be sure you take it every day.
Check with your doctor before you make big changes in what you eat, such as starting a diet to lose weight.
If you want to start eating more of a food that's rich in vitamin K, talk to your doctor about how to add it safely. Your warfarin dose may need to be adjusted.
Use this list to get an idea of what foods are sources of vitamin K.
Food (no salt added) |
Serving Size |
Vitamin K (mcg) |
---|---|---|
Kale, boiled, drained |
1 cup |
1062 |
Spinach, frozen, boiled, drained |
1 cup |
1027 |
Spinach, boiled, drained |
1 cup |
889 |
Collards, boiled, drained |
1 cup |
773 |
Broccoli, boiled, drained |
1 cup |
220 |
Brussels sprouts, boiled, drained |
1 cup |
218 |
Cabbage, boiled, drained |
1 cup |
163 |
Spinach egg noodles, cooked, enriched |
1 cup |
162 |
Spinach, raw |
1 cup |
145 |
Coleslaw, fast food |
1 cup |
135 |
Broccoli, raw, chopped |
1 cup |
93 |
Asparagus, boiled, drained |
1 cup |
92 |
Okra, boiled, drained |
1 cup |
64 |
Green peas, canned, drained |
1 cup |
63 |
Lettuce, butterhead (such as Boston or Bibb), raw |
1 cup |
56 |
Lettuce (such as romaine), raw |
1 cup |
48 |
Lettuce, green leaf, raw |
1 cup |
46 |
Vegetables, mixed, frozen, boiled, drained |
1 cup |
43 |
Blueberries, frozen, sweetened |
1 cup |
41 |
Peas, edible pods, boiled |
1 cup |
40 |
Green peas, frozen, boiled |
1 cup |
38 |
Celery, raw |
1 cup |
30 |
Blackberries, raw |
1 cup |
29 |
Blueberries, raw |
1 cup |
29 |
Marinara sauce for pasta, ready-to-serve |
½ cup |
18 |
Lettuce, iceberg, raw |
1 cup |
17 |
Canola oil |
1 Tbsp |
10 |
Cucumber, with peel, raw |
½ cup |
9 |
Olive oil |
1 Tbsp |
8 |
Tuna fish, white, canned in oil, drained |
3 oz |
6 |
Kiwi, raw |
1 fruit |
5 |
Pistachios, dry roasted, salt added |
1 oz (47 nuts) |
3.7 |
Tea, brewed, prepared with tap water |
6 fl oz |
0.0 |
Green and black tea leaves do contain vitamin K before they are steeped in water, but a small serving of the hot tea itself does not.
Check with your doctor before you take any supplements or herbal products. Some of these may contain vitamin K. If you already take a product that contains vitamin K, do not stop taking it without talking with your doctor first.
To find out how well warfarin is working, you will get blood tests to measure how long it takes for your blood to clot. Your lab results are called your Prothrombin Time (PT) and International Normalized Ratio (INR) values. You may just hear about your INR.
Your INR needs to be in a safe range—not too high and not too low. Vitamin K can change how warfarin works, which changes your INR.
Keeping your warfarin and vitamin K intake steady every day helps keep you in a safe INR range.
Citations
- Agricultural Research Service (2015). USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 28. Available online: https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/.
Other Works Consulted
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (2010). Blood Thinner Pills: Your Guide to Using Them Safely (AHRQ Publication No. 09-0086-C). Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Available online: http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/btpills.htm.
Current as of: August 31, 2020
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:E. Gregory Thompson MD - Internal Medicine & Martin J. Gabica MD - Family Medicine & Adam Husney MD - Family Medicine & Adam Husney MD - Family Medicine
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. Learn how we develop our content.
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