Vitamin K is essential to our overall health and well-being. It’s made up of two vitamins that help protect various bodily functions, such as bone and heart health. There are ways to consume it through diet, food, and supplements, but the main source is through food. It also has many benefits for our overall health, and will help with many of our other bodily functions in different ways.
What Is Vitamin K?
According to the Cleveland Clinic article Top Benefits of Vitamin K, “It helps your body develop and function properly.” There are two types, which come from different sources:
- Vitamin K1 (or phylloquinone) (pronounced “fil-oh-kwi-nohn”). This more common type is found in plant foods, especially green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale.”
- Vitamin K2 (or menaquinone) (pronounced “men-ah-kwi-nohn”). This less common type is found in some animal foods and fermented products. Gut bacteria and in your body also produces this type.”
Everything You Need to Know
Vitamin K is an essential vitamin with many health benefits. According to Very Well Health and their article Everything You Need To Know About Vitamin K, “In addition to vitamin K being a fat-soluble vitamin, it plays an important role in blood clotting, bone and heart health.”
According to the same article, “Vitamin K is also available as a dietary supplement. However, most people get the amount they need through diet alone. It is injected as a supplement in newborns, though, as they do not produce vitamin K right away, nor do they get sufficient amounts through breast milk.”
A note provided by the FDA in their article says, “In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration does not regulate supplements the way it regulates prescription drugs. That means some supplement products may not contain what the label says. When choosing a supplement, look for independently tested products and consult a healthcare provider, registered dietitian nutritionist (RD or RDN), or pharmacist.”
Use and Benefits
Vitamin K is important for overall health and well-being. It helps strengthen our bones through vegetables and other foods. Research shows it does three specific things in our bodies:
- Blood clotting
- Bone health
- Heart disease prevention
The benefits are plentiful. It comes with many health benefits. It helps with heart health, healthy bones, bone density, and many other bodily functions. According to the article, 11 Amazing Health Benefits of Vitamin K, “Other health benefits include improving cognitive function, ensuring good dental health, preventing arthritis and osteoporosis, enduring quicker wound healing, and improving overall immunity of the body.”
Six Food Sources
From the website, 11 Amazing Health Benefits of Vitamin K:
1. Green Leafy Vegetables
Such as kale provides 443% of the daily recommended value.
2. Cabbage
Provides over 100% of the daily recommended value.
3. Mustard Greens
Provides 346% of the daily recommended value.
4. Beef Liver
Provides 60% of the daily recommended value.
5. Pork Chops
Provides 49% of the daily recommended value.
6. Chicken
Provides 43% of the daily recommended value.
Final Thoughts
There are many other foods that provide us with Vitamin K, but these foods may provide the amount of vitamins we need for stronger bones and better health. Adding more to your diet will provide better health. The food pyramid, created in the 1990’s and the plate created in 2011, by the USDA, give us an idea about what should be on our plate and in our diets.
The plate, being the most current and up-to-date, gives all of us a guideline about what we should be eating. While our food and food choices change, we can have a guideline on what our food portions should be. And we can still enjoy sweets, sugary beverages, cereals, and the like. Grains, bread, and fruits should be included in our diets so there is a balance to what we eat. It is important to have a variety of nutrients, so we can live longer and have healthier lives.
