The Vitamin K Effect

Vitamin K is the last of the four fat-soluble vitamins. I know we discussed a little bit about it last week, but it’s time to go a bit more in depth. Just like most fat-soluble vitamins, Vitamin K is stored in the liver. However, what makes Vitamin K unique is that intestinal flora can produce it. Those of you who are parents may remember that when a baby is born, Vitamin K is injected into its colon. The reason for this is simple: Vitamin K can’t be made when there is no bacteria in the colon, and baby’s guts are sterile. Because of this, Vitamin K deficiencies are quite rare. Ever since birth, our bodies are programmed to make it. Also, I hope this picture of me on my first birthday makes your day. I always tell people that I have been sassy since day one. There was no way I was going to let my dad help me open my present. 

Anyways, back to Vitamin K.

We are lucky our bodies make Vitamin K naturally because it is important for blood clotting. Without Vitamin K, a tiny cut would bleed excessively and possibly cause hemorrhage. Personally, I like to keep my blood inside of my body, so I am exceedingly thankful that Vitamin K exists. Without it, me being accident prone would be much terrible than it currently is. Especially since I work in a kitchen where I am 90% sure even the water coming out of the tap is sharp.

On top of blood clotting, Vitamin K has one other known function: improved bone strength. Though it doesn’t create bone, it has the ability to strengthen it (protecting against atherosclerosis) by allowing more calcium ions to bind to the bone. The more calcium you have in your bone, the stronger it is. Simple math! Most things in the body are too complicated to be deemed "simple" and "math", but Vitamin K and calcium ions are an exception in this instance.

When it comes to food sources of Vitamin K, I have one word for you—GREEN. Kale, spinach, broccoli, brussels sprouts, and asparagus are all great sources of Vitamin K. Next to dark green vegetables, vegetable oils are the next largest source of the vitamin. Which is awesome because the source of Vitamin K provides the fat you need to absorb the vitamin. Once again, nature is on our side. I love it when food takes care of us. 

Hopefully some of you have put two and two together and realized that all of the Vitamin K sources are found in salad due to the greens and most dressings. What does this mean? We should ALL be eating salad at some point during the week. Besides, as discussed before, salad greens provide so many different nutrients, that Vitamin K is just the beginning. Salads are so versatile that I hardly ever make the same salad twice. So all of you salad lovers out there (myself included) it is time to rejoice! You are getting enough Vitamin K in your diet.