What is consistent vitamin k diet?

Your body needs vitamin K to clot blood and keep your bones strong. It's found in leafy green vegetables such as kale and spinach.

If you take the blood thinner warfarin (Coumadin), you need to be careful about how much vitamin K you get. Vitamin K can keep your warfarin from working as it should.

Most people who take warfarin can eat normally. The important thing is to get about the same amount of vitamin K each day. Don't suddenly start eating foods with a lot more or a lot less vitamin K.

You can choose how much vitamin K you 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.

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 make sure that warfarin is effectively thinning your blood, it's important to eat about the same amount of vitamin K every day.

Here's why:

• Vitamin K normally helps your blood clot so wounds don't bleed too much.
• Warfarin works against vitamin K. It makes your blood clot more slowly.

So warfarin and vitamin K work against each other in your body, and it's important to keep them in balance. 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. If you do, your warfarin dose may need to be adjusted.

It's up to you to decide 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 to 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. And 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.

Also check with your doctor before you add or change any supplements or herbal products. Some of these may contain vitamin K. If you already take a product that contains vitamin K, don't stop taking it without talking with your doctor first.