You may have heard of vitamin K, but do you really understand what it’s about or its health benefits? The World’s Healthiest Foods breaks down vitamin K and reveals that it has some fascinating qualities.
The “K” in vitamin K actually comes from the German word coagulation. This refers to blood clotting. There are three kinds of vitamin K: K1-K3. The nutrient is most commonly found in foods derived from plants. These include:
- Kale
- Mustard Greens
- Spinach
- Collard Greens
- Turnip Greens
- Swiss Chard
- Broccoli
- Parsley
- Swiss Chard
- Beet Greens
These foods all have more than enough of the recommended daily requirement of vitamin
- One cup of kale alone has 1,180% of recommended nutritional value. Foods with vitamin K do well with cooking and don’t significantly lose their nutritional benefit through storage. However, oils that contain vitamin K are more sensitive to light should be kept sealed in containers that do not allow light.
Vitamin K has several health benefits. For example:
- Blood clotting: This is when red blood cells stick together to form clots. Too much clotting can be harmful and clog a blood vessel. However, you need some blood clotting in order to heal from a wound.
- Healthy bones: Research is showing that vitamin K helps with keeping bones healthy. This could be important for those who are at a greater risk of breaking a bone, such as women who are post-menopause.
- Insulin resistance: Particularly for older men.
- Blood vessels. Protecting the walls of blood vessels and veins.
Even though vitamin K has so many benefits, many Americans are at risk of a vitamin K deficiency, especially among children and young adults. The nutrient is in many green vegetables, and Americans get between only 70 to at most 90% of the recommended daily amount. Another reason why some don’t get enough vitamin K is that of medications that block the body’s ability to absorb it.
Want to learn more about the health benefits of vitamin K? You can read the full article here: vitamin K.
