Foods high in Vitamin K (phylloquinone)

Vitamin K (phylloquinone) enables the body to produce the clotting proteins that stop bleeding after an injury and the bone protein osteocalcin, which helps bind calcium into bone. Most healthy adults eating some green vegetables meet their needs without difficulty, since gut bacteria also produce a related form of the vitamin. People with liver disease or conditions that impair fat absorption are more likely to fall short, and newborns are a distinct at-risk group because they start life with very low vitamin K stores, which is why they routinely receive a vitamin K injection rather than relying on diet. When reading the ranked list below, expect dried herbs and spices such as basil, sage, thyme, and parsley to appear at the very top by weight, but leafy green vegetables like spinach, kale, collard greens, and Swiss chard remain the more practical everyday source, since they're eaten in far larger amounts. One important note for anyone on warfarin or another blood-thinning medication: the goal with vitamin K is day-to-day consistency, not maximizing intake, so a sudden large increase in leafy greens matters more than the absolute amount eaten occasionally.