I can’t have broccoli or cauliflower because of its high Vitamin K levels – why is it in your recipes?

My wife is on Coumadin® (warfarin) for life. She loves broccoli and cauliflower, but from the endless lists one can get on the Internet, broccoli and cauliflower appear to be a no-no for those on warfarin due to their high levels of Vitamin K. Yet they appear in quite a few of your recipes. Can you explain, please?

The Health meets Food Team Says...

Because it is clear that eating Vitamin K is important to users of Coumadin® (warfarin), I don't try to eliminate it from the diet completely. (See my column, "The Right Dose of Vitamin K.")

For main course meal recipes, I consider those that are under 30-35 micrograms of Vitamin K to be safe. This is a moderate amount of Vitamin K. For side dishes, anything under 15 mcg is a good guideline. There are some recipes that will use broccoli, cauliflower, or other ingredients that are higher in Vitamin K, such as asparagus.

The ingredients are not used in large amounts, and the other ingredients in the recipes are generally low in Vitamin K, so the total number of micrograms of Vitamin K in the dish is not too high to eat and enjoy.

Thanks for writing.

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