It is a good idea to include ample amounts of vitamin K in your diet for a number of reasons. Today we are going to take a close look at this vitamin and explain why it’s so important!

Function In The Body

Vitamin K has several important roles to play in the body. Its biggest job is to ensure that blood clots properly, which then helps wounds to heal at an appropriate rate. If you aren’t getting enough vitamin K, then you might start to experience problems with this!

Bone Health

Research has shown that vitamin K also has a role to play in keeping bones healthy. This vitamin works with vitamin D in the body to better enable calcium to find its way to the bones. This means that the bones are better equipped to develop properly and helps them to stay strong.

Our bodies go through a constant cycle of removing tiny amounts of calcium from the bones and replacing it with new calcium. This is often referred to as the bone remodelling process. If the bones do not have enough new calcium added to compensate for that which is being removed, then the bones can become weaker and less dense. This could lead to a whole range of health problems!

By consuming the correct amount of calcium and vitamin K through your diet, you can help your body to avoid this issue. This is especially important for children and teenagers to do, so that they can build a strong starting point for adulthood.

Heart Health

It has been suggested by a number of experts that there may be some benefit to heart health from vitamin K. However, there is no definitive research to entirely support this idea.

Hospitalized elderly patient, senior old aging woman laying on bed with cardiologist doctor or physician examining cardiological heart health, checking pulse in hospital clinic exam room

Sources of Vitamin K

This vitamin is easily found in green vegetables, such as:

  • Brussels sprouts
  • Kale
  • Spinach
  • Swiss chard
  • Spinach
  • Turnip greens
  • Collards
  • Mustard greens
  • Romaine lettuce
  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Cabbage

Certain fruits also contain beneficial amounts of vitamin K, such as:

  • Prunes
  • Kiwi
  • Avocado
  • Blackberries
  • Figs
  • Tomatoes

When it comes to dietary sources, vitamin K can also be obtained from vegetable oils and cereal grains. Additionally, the body is actually able to make small amounts of this vitamin itself in the gastrointestinal tract.

figs vitamin k

How Much Vitamin K

It is generally not considered to be very difficult to get an adequate amount of dietary vitamin K, and deficiency among adults is rare in the United States. In the instances where a deficiency does present, this is likely to be because the body isn’t properly absorbing vitamin K as it should. This can be due to a number of health conditions, and is something that can likely be addressed and rectified with treatment.

Babies can sometimes be at risk of vitamin K deficiency because they are not born with the bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract to create it. This means that they are totally dependant on dietary sources and breast milk is not a good source.

The amount of vitamin K that you should aim to include in your diet is dependant on how much you weight. Adults should aim to include 1 microgram of vitamin K per kilogram of bodyweight. This means that someone who weighs 70kg should consume approximately 70 micrograms each day. 

The body is able to store vitamin K in the liver. This means that you don’t have to worry too much about hitting your daily vitamin K quota every day. 

A Balanced & Varied Diet

Eating a balanced and varied diet is the best way to ensure your nutritional needs are getting met. This is something that you can achieve by making sure you get an ample amount of all of the different food groups.

Healthy eating ingredients: fresh vegetables, fruits and superfood. Nutrition, diet, vegan food concept

Paying extra attention to your fresh fruit and vegetable consumption can give you an extra boost when it comes to getting all your vitamins and minerals. Fruit and vegetables, and other whole foods, are a fantastic source of the things that your body needs to function as it should.

Furthermore, eradicating unhealthy foods from your diet, such as high calorie fatty foods, and products that are overly processed, can help you to stay healthy. when you are consuming foods that are hgh in sugar and fat, then you can sabotage your healthy eating efforts.

Combining a good diet with a regular exercise plan will go a long way to helping you balance your physical health. Regular exercise will also assist vitamin K in the role of keeping your bones strong.

References

 

1. https://www.livescience.com/51908-vitamin-k.html