Cauliflower

[Dottilind]

Really fed up now, I am now told that all the veg I eat are high in vit K and now told that cauliflower is too. I thought it was only green leafy veg that was high. What on earth is there left to eat apart from bread.

[Rellim296]

From memory, I think parsnips, beetroot, onion, sweetcorn, aubergine, fennel and butternut squash are all low in vitamin K.

[dedeottie in reply to Rellim296]

Also caugettes .x

[Rellim296]

Mushrooms are low too. 124g (1 cup) of boiled cauliflower has 17.1 mcg vit K while 180g (1 cup) of spinach, boiled has 888.5 mcg according to my app. 99g (again 1 cup) of eggplant / aubergine has 2.9 mcg. Makes a difference, I think, if things are raw or cooked, and the skin usually has more vitamin K than the inside.

[BobD Volunteer]

Look the whole point is that it doesn't matter what you eat so long as you keep to a regular diet. Your warfarin level will be adjusted to give your correct INR whatever you eat within reason. The amount of warfarin doesn't matter either so long as the INR is correct. If you eat spinach every meal (not ideal) then your dose may be quite high. What matters is suddenly stopping something like spinach as this could cause you INR to spike. OK yes there are some things like cranberry which are complete no no s and if you don't;like broccoli you can always claim it is bad for your INR like I do but moderation in everything and don't get too serious about it all. You have to enjoy life!

Bob

[Rellim296]

Broccoli can be very dodgy - one of those veggies that can be unsuitable for vegetarians. My app doesn't say how much vit K there is in a caterpillar. They must be made of whatever green plant they live on presumably.

[Hidden in reply to Rellim296]

I'm really hoping you're not eating caterpillars Rellim, though I'm now consumed by curiosity about how much Vitamin K they might contain!

[Rellim296 in reply to Hidden]

See my ramble below, Eatsalottie

[Beancounter Volunteer]

Dottilind

As Bob says it doesn't matter keep eating what you like as long as you are consistent, and the warfarin dose will be adjusted to take account of what you eat, don't stop eating any of these vegetables, there is no need whatsoever.

(Let me guess that you are being advised by a nurse in the doctor's surgery?)

Eat all of them in moderation and consistently.

Ian

[Ang3lc4ts in reply to Beancounter]

Hurray for Bob and Ian, I eat all vegetables, in moderation as I do not eat 4 legged animals. The Warfarin Clinic nurse knows what I eat as I gave her all the information when I started on Warfarin and she said it was fine to carry on. The only problem I had was when I could not eat during Norovirus attack then my INR went haywire, 6.9! As soon as I started eating again back to 2.5.

So, enjoy life and stop worrying.

[Rellim296 in reply to Beancounter]

Yes - see below, Beancounter, if you have plenty of free time. Have written too much.

[Hidden]

I go along with what Bob says. Everything in moderation, just don't binge and if you do your warfarin dose will be adjusted next time. Chill out and enjoy your food without all this worry! You may wish to consider self testing further down the line if you are still worried. See Coaguchek Monitors. Sandra

[Thomas45]

Forget about Vitamin K content aned eat what you like. I love chard and it's and anti-inflammatory food (I have polymyalgia), so I eat chard when it's in season. I believ it has high Vitamin K content. If any food affects my INR I can always adjust the dose of warfarin I take.

The only food I don't eat is cranberries, and the 2 foods which I know can lead me to have episodes of AF.

[MarkS]

As others say, you should not exclude Vit K from your diet, it is an essential vitamin. A consistent amount can also help stabilise your INR readings. What advice have you received on what you should eat? As Beancounter says, was it someone fully qualfied to give you that advice?

Mark

[Hel1958]

Totally agree with the sensible suggestions above, my nurse was great, when I first read through my warfarin book and went into panic mode about what I couldn't eat, she just smiled and said, unless you eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, DON'T WORRY!

[Hidden]

I was told the only thing I really couldn't have was cranberries, possibly grapefruit. All the things that are high in Vit K are just to be had in moderation and the key is to try to have a regular intake, rather than just deciding to eat a whole cauliflower one day, so I was told. If you got the big yellow pack of information when you started on warfarin it tells you you can have one cup of this, three cups of that... I would say I don't actually want more than three cups of brussels sprouts! Put it this way, I had some spinach lasagna yesterday, and my concession to my INR was a small glass of wine

[dedeottie in reply to Hidden]

For every cup full too much of spinach we could drink one glass of wine so that it balances out!! Shame that wine triggers my A.F. still sometimes I think it's worth risking it!

[Hidden in reply to dedeottie]

That is a shame! It triggers mine if I have more than a little. Darn spoilsport condition!

[iris1205]

My goodness, I am starting to be grateful for my Xarelto! Rivaroxaban

[Gmc54]

Eat whatever you like, I eat broccoli every of my life along with many other veggies. Just be consistent, eat roughly the same each week.

[Hidden]

Go to pamf.org/anticoag/patients/... read and inwardly digest (sorry about the pun) !

Frankly in the past I have eaten vegetables of most types all my life and they have never impacted on my INR. Just been consistent - booze too. I have now stopped all veggies except for cauliflower, broccoli, brussels, broad beans and cabbage because all other veggies have upset my digestive system and triggered AF events. Cranberry, grapes and grapefruit are not in my diet either as well as shedloads of other stuff too.

Aussie John

[lizwright]

I eat all veggies and eat platefuls of spinach. I can't spend my life worrying about this, far too much to do. The INR tests are there to adjust the wafarin. I was told that as long as you don't make a sudden change eg binge drink or get ill, then that is fine. I drink half a bottle of wine every day and eat bucket loads of green veg. I hate cranberries so wouldn't eat those sour nasty little things anyway.

[Rellim296]

Well, I'm trying to move to Apixaban, Iris. I have not liked warfarin, and have had very little sense of security from it because in 9 months I have had an INR between 2.1 and 2.9 for only 6 weeks. Yes, Beancounter, I see the surgery nurse who finds me a challenge. I've seen her every Thursday this year until this week. I had to continue with warfarin because I was waiting for an ablation and had to have an INR over 2 for four consecutive weeks which was not easily achieved.

My other half has been on a strict low fibre diet. Most veggies are banned, but he could have 2.5 cm of courgette, for example. All veggies have to have skin removed. I have had to use my potato peeler which scares me because it is a bit sharp and keen and has a fondness for nicking my hand. Meals have been a bit bland, I have to say, but very regular and consistent, and happily his limited range of veggies have mostly also been low in vitamin K. He could not have sweetcorn or onions. We ate very carefully, we avoided eating at other people's houses where you have no control and have to decide how rude you are prepared to be to stick to the rules. In spite of this, my INR was not exactly stable. I shot up from 2.7 on Thursday to 3.5 on Monday. One was a venous test, the other a finger stab.

Yes, I'm afraid I have eaten caterpillars, Eatsalottie. Have a vivid memory of having a meal with my father, just the two of us. It was cauliflower cheese, and when we were quite a long way through the meal we noticed the caterpillars.

[Hidden in reply to Rellim296]

Now I feel I must confess I cooked some garden broccoli for the kids that contained caterpillars, once... In my defence, they were exactly the same colour as the broccoli and obviously good at clinging on through the washing process. So in my mind, they asked for everything they got, though I can't say the same for the poor children. They're out of therapy now

[Mamamarilyn]

There is only one thing worse than eating a caterpillar or indeed a grub and that's eating half of one!

Have a good weekend everyone x

[Dadog in reply to Mamamarilyn]

Caterpillars are OK, Mamamarilyn, if you sprinkle a little olive oil on them and lightly grill until crispy. Add a mayonnaise dip and they make a nice starter to any meal. Enjoy!

[Barb1]

As long as you eat more or less the same amount of the particular veg you like each week, then you can eat what you like, as the Warfarin level can be adjusted to take it into account. But I don't mean a ton of sprouts!

[Rellim296]

While there might be even more I could say, it's time to cut back.

[MammaCass]

I eat all and any veggies, my warfarin is steady at 2.4 to 2.6. The doctor told me the only things off limits were cranberries, grapefruit and iprobufren, and to be careful with the O be joyful juice, but it sets the AF off so I avoid it. He told me they would adjust the meds to account for my diet to keep my INR stable. I now see the warfarin clinic monthly. I really have been very lucky, and after reading other members journeys I realise how lucky.

[shadski]

Hi vit. K is determined by how much you eat and how it is prepared as well as the veggie. For instance a little cooked spinach or chard will affect you differently than the same amount of raw spinach or chard in a salad.

I agree that the key is to eat a consistent diet. One anticoagulant nurse told me unofficially to drink more wine when I do spinach or broccoli because they counteract each other. I found a site which talks about amounts of veggies as well as vit K content. It's Drgourmet.com

[Rellim296 in reply to shadski]

Thanks. I have had a look at this useful site. Like my James Hollender app, it uses some terms that are unfamiliar. To us in the UK. Collards, I know, means spring cabbage. Very yummy, in my view, if cooked not too much, but sky high in vit K, of course.

Interesting about greens and wine. Thanks!