You may not be meeting your vitamin K needs, the one responsible for blood clotting, warding off osteoporosis, heart disease and possibly cancer, even if you pop your daily multivitamin, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported this month (October 2009).
Do not fear.
Foods packed with this nutrient greet you right when you enter the supermarket’s refrigerated area.
First, a word about the recommended daily intakes (RDI):
MALES 19+ need 120 micrograms a day
FEMALES 19+ need 90 micrograms a day
There are two main forms of vitamin K: phylloquinone (vitamin K1) and menaquinones (vitamin K2).
K1 is found in abundance in dark green leafy vegetables and makes up about 90 percent of the vitamin K in a typical Western diet.
| KALE | 1 CUP, raw | 547 micrograms |
| COLLARDS | 1 CUP, raw | 183 micrograms |
| SPINACH | 1 CUP, raw | 144 micrograms |
| BEET GREENS | 1 CUP, raw | 144 micrograms |
| BRUSSELS SPROUTS | 1 CUP, raw | 155 micrograms |
Vitamin K2 is normally produced by bacteria in the large intestine, but you can also get your K2 (in much smaller quantities) from animal meat, and fermented food products like cheese, and natto (a Japanese food sans fragrant scent and texture)
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K?
