Nutrition Spotlight
By Dina Lawson
(July 2013) If you are taking the prescribed medicine Coumadin or Warfarin to ‘thin’ your blood, you should to be aware of how much Vitamin K is in the foods you eat and the supplements that you take.
Coumadin or Warfarin helps your blood clot more slowly. High amounts of Vitamin K in certain foods can cause your blood to clot more quickly.
Doctors use a test called INR to check how fast or slow your blood clots. If you suddenly change the amount of Vitamin K foods that you eat, your INR reading will change.
So, it is important to follow these steps:
- Take your medicine exactly as your Doctor prescribes.
- Don’t skip your Doctor’s appointments! It is important that you have regular INR tests.
- Keep the amount of vitamin K intake from foods and supplements the same each day.
- Sudden increases in Vitamin K can decrease the effect of Coumadin. It is important to keep the Coumadin working as efficiently as possible!
- Plan your meals ahead of time so you know how much of Vitamin K foods you can have daily.
- If you get Home-Delivered Meals or attend the Dining Sites, look at the monthly menu for foods that contain Vitamin K and plan your intake accordingly!
How do I Keep my Intake Consistent?
- Consume the higher Vitamin K foods in the same amount each day. If you only eat these foods 3 times a week, have them on the same days each week. For example if you eat 1/2 cup of cooked spinach 3 times a week, be consistent! Make sure you have 1/2 cup of spinach (or another high Vitamin K food) on the same days each week!
- Don’t make sudden changes to your intake of vitamin K foods. For example, if you have a romaine lettuce salad every day, stopping that will change the effectiveness of the Coumadin.
- Notify your Doctor if you make any changes to your food or supplement intake.
What Foods Contain the Highest Amounts of Vitamin K?
- Kale, Spinach, Collards, Swiss chard, Mustard Greens, Turnip Greens, Fresh Parsley, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Endive, Cooked Cabbage, Green leaf lettuce, Romaine Lettuce, Asparagus.
- A good portion size to eat is ½ cup if it is cooked and 1 cup if it is raw.
Other information to keep in mind:
- Alcoholic Beverages can affect your medication. Be sure to notify your doctor or pharmacist.
- Many dietary supplements can alter your INR reading. These include: garlic pills, ginger, ginkgo, licorice, St. John’s Wort, and Vitamin E supplements.
- There is still a lot of information unknown about the effects of dietary supplements, so avoid all supplements until you speak with your Doctor.
Source: The National Institutes of Health Drug Nutrient Interaction Task Force. http://www.cc.nih.gov
Dina Lawson is a Registered Dietitian for the Madison County Office for the Aging.