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When your parents told you to eat your vegetables, it was for good reason — many veggies include some of the essential nutrients that our bodies need — such as vitamin K!
Essential vitamins are organic nutrients that, as their name suggests, are essential for our lives.
The 13 essential vitamins and 11 essential nutrients are required for our bodies to function properly so we can be our healthiest selves, and each essential vitamin and mineral has a unique and specific function for the body.
The essential vitamins can be broken down into two categories: water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins. Vitamin K, the essential vitamin that we will focus on here, is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning that it is stored by the body.
What else is there to learn about vitamin K? Read on and see what you’ll discover!
Composed of a group of many different vitamers, vitamin K is made up of K1 (phylloquinone) and K2 (menaquinone).
Vitamin K’s primary function is blood clotting. This vitamin helps to make the various proteins that are imperative for blood to clot which prevents extreme bleeding, and for building bones. Vitamin K also promotes a healthy heart and immune system, and has other functions in the body.
K2 in particular has been found to optimize calcium use in the body, and an increased consumption of K2 is shown to lower calcium-associated health risks. When people consume too much calcium, calcification of the arteries can occur when there is not enough magnesium, vitamin K2, and vitamin D3. K2 works, along with magnesium, to keep calcium away from soft tissue, arteries, and the heart.
The average daily recommended amount of vitamin K depends on a few factors such as age and sex. According to the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), adult men are recommended 120mcg (micrograms) of vitamin K per day, while adult women are recommended to get 90mcg daily. Keep in mind that this recommended amount also changes for pregnant and breastfeeding women.
Although a vitamin K deficiency is rare, it is estimated that 80% of Americans do not get enough K2 in their diet. People who are on antibiotics long-term or have absorption issues are at higher risk for a deficiency.
The dangers of having a vitamin K deficiency are excessive bleeding (hemorrhage), as well as reduced bone strength, and an increased chance of osteoporosis for those with a severe vitamin K deficiency.
Luckily, vitamin K is readily available in both meat and plant sources, meaning that it is naturally accessible for people with most diets.
Vitamin K can be found in a variety of foods and it’s recommended that you consume several of them to reap the most benefits from the essential vitamin. Green, leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach, broccoli, and lettuce, as well as vegetable oils, are great sources of K1, or phylloquinone.
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Natural Vegan Sources of Vitamin K |
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3 oz Natto (as MK-7): 850mcg |
½ Cup Frozen Boiled Collards: 530mcg |
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½ Cup Frozen Boiled Turnip Greens: 426mcg |
1 Cup Raw Spinach: 145mcg |
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1 Cup Raw Kale: 113mcg |
½ Cup Boiled Broccoli: 110mcg |
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½ Cup Roasted Soybeans: 43mcg |
¾ Cup Carrot Juice: 28mcg |
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1 tbsp Soybean Oil: 25mcg |
½ Cup Canned Pumpkin: 20mcg |
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½ Cup Raw Okra: 16mcg |
¾ Cup Pomegranate Juice: 19mcg |
K2, or menaquinone, is found in fermented foods like fermented cheese or fermented soybeans (natto), or in animal products. Menaquinones differ in length and are designated menaquinone-n (MK-n), where “n” stands for the number of 5-carbon units (MK-2 to MK-14). MK-7, the form of this vitamin that is found in our Liquid Morning Multivitamin Essentials+ in both fruit punch and strawberry flavor, may help support your bones.
Although it’s always best to get the vitamins and other nutrients our bodies need from the food we eat, sometimes supplementing can help to ensure you get your daily recommended intake for these vitamins, and that’s what MaryRuth’s is here for!
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