Coumadin Diet?

Wynnie
Wynnie Posts: 225 Member
edited September 19 in Food and Nutrition
I bet I get about zero answers for this but it can't hurt to try.
I went on Coumadin (blood thinner) just last week and wondered if anyone can recommend a good website for what diet is good for that. I know you are supposed to avoid a lot of Vitamin K, but I hoped there would be a site specific to Coumadin interactions?
Thanks. This is my first DVT and it's kinda scary!

Replies

  • Wynnie
    Wynnie Posts: 225 Member
    I bet I get about zero answers for this but it can't hurt to try.
    I went on Coumadin (blood thinner) just last week and wondered if anyone can recommend a good website for what diet is good for that. I know you are supposed to avoid a lot of Vitamin K, but I hoped there would be a site specific to Coumadin interactions?
    Thanks. This is my first DVT and it's kinda scary!
  • girldeese
    girldeese Posts: 132
    http://www.drgourmet.com/warfarin/eatthisdiet/index.shtml

    My grandmother is doing this diet on this web site, as she has begun taking cumadin. Good Luck!:smile:
  • shorerider
    shorerider Posts: 3,817 Member
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    http://www.drgourmet.com/

    http://www.drgourmet.com/warfarin/warfarinrecipes.shtml

    http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/19/2090/coumadin-diet/

    http://www.clotcare.com/clotcare/vitaminkandwarfarin.aspx

    http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:64Ucgq8_xasJ:www.umassmed.edu/uploadedfiles/VITK.DOC+coumadin+food+suggestions&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us
  • memuellerpa
    memuellerpa Posts: 18
    I only have a minute here... heading out of town.... so I can't give a full response or find websites for you, ask you requested. But- I am a healthcare provider and run a "coumadin clinic" so I deal with this all the time. PLUS, I was briefly on coumadin myself, so I know of what I speak. :)

    The goal isn't to eliminate Vitamin K from your diet; the goal is to keep your intake of Vitamin K as steady as possible. The dosage of coumadin can be adjusted to account for high and low levels of Vitamin K in the diet. The problem comes when people eat lots of Vitamin K one day or one week and then little the next day or the next week.

    When I was on coumadin, I tried to eat one green food every day. Often it was a salad, sometimes it was spinach, other times it was broccoli. If I had already had one green that day, I ate little or none of a second helping. If I had had none by the end fo the day, I tried to get at least a little greens in before bedtime. This worked out very well for me. My INR (coumadin level) was very stable.

    I have had patients who are vegetarians and they eat TONS of greens; we just adjust their dose, and they are on higher doses, but it works out fine because they eat a lot of greens (which contain Vitamin K) every day. Other patients just don't want to bother with the whole issue, so they avoid greens and mayonnaise altogether. The key is CONSISTENCY. Eat the same amount of Vitamin K (a lot or a little or a moderate amount) each day.

    Your doctor should be able to give you a list of foods that contain large amounts of Vitamin K. The typical ones are: broccoli, lettuce (the darker the lettuce, the more vitamin K), spinach, green beans, green pepper. Also, canola oil has a lot of Vitamin K, but olive oil and corn oil do not. Mayonnaise has a lot, also.

    I hope that helps a little. Good luck!
  • memuellerpa
    memuellerpa Posts: 18
    P.S. Also, don't drink too much alcohol at a time when you are on coumadin.
    This is the one "food" that makes your coumadin level go UP (the others make it go DOWN). I have seen some guys come in Monday morning after watching a Bears game on Sunday and downing a few beers, and their INRs are, what do you know, way high (blood is too thin)! One alcoholic beverage here and there shouldn't be a problem. I wouldn't drink more than one at a time, 2-3 times per week max.
  • artnoren
    artnoren Posts: 54
    I have been on Coumadin(Warfarin) for several years. I eat green, leafy vegtables, use a lot of garlic and have two small glasses of red wine 5-6 times a week. The key is consistancy. Your Coumadin dosage can be adjusted to accomodate your eating habits as long as those habits remain consistant. Also, exercise can effect your Coumadin dosage as exercise increases your metabolism which causes your body to metabolize the drug faster thus reducing the its affect. This is my understanding, but check with your health professional to confirm. Hope this helps.
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