What is considered low, medium and high levels of vitamin K?
What are the ranges of mcg of vitamin K for low, medium, and high classifications?
Dr. Gourmet Says...
When creating our lists for Vitamin K content we reviewed many sources.
We looked at the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of Vitamin K as well as
a grouping of ingredients by amounts.
There is no clear cut guideline. We do know that consuming an erratic diet of foods that are high and low in Vitamin K can cause wide swings in the bioavailability of warfarin. Consequently, we wanted folks to focus on those ingredients that were high more than those that contained a medium or low amount. Here's the result:
Low < 20 micrograms (mcg) per serving
Medium > 20 mcg but < 40 mcg
High > 40 mcg
We label our recipes as not being "safe for Coumadin users" if the meal contains less than 40 mcg for a main course or complete meal. If the side dish contains less than 20 mcg, we consider that as being safe.
Thanks for writing,
Timothy S. Harlan, M.D.
Dr. Gourmet