Need advice.. substitute dark green salad

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julesw734
julesw734 Posts: 100
in Food and Nutrition
Ok my cardiovascular surgeon just put me on Blood thinners... Well these new meds say I cannot eat Dark greens due to the fact that dark green vegetables is a natural blood thinner... Can anyone give me any advice on what I can substitute it with... I love salads and I have one salad a day.. Except on my cheat day.. Thank you so much.... Jules

Replies

  • saralee0319
    saralee0319 Posts: 2 Member
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    No need to substitute. If your normal intake is to eat one salad a day, just continue to eat one salad a day. It is important to not make any drastic changes in your diet when starting on blood thinners (i.e. don't drastically increase or decrease your intake of foods high in Vitamin K such as dark leafy greens). Unless your physician or pharmacist tells you otherwise.
  • pixietoes
    pixietoes Posts: 1,591 Member
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    If the warning was on the bottle, I recommend you talk to your doctor about it.

    Chances are that if you were already eating one salad a day your body was not getting enough of the blood thinning from it to make a difference. I have found doctors are sometimes shocked by the warnings on pill bottles! On the other hand, I have occasionally had a doctor give very strict restrictions, some of which are not listed on a bottle.

    On the other hand, if the warning came from the doctor when the scrip was written, then follow the advice while your body gets used to the new drug. Once you know whether it works for you then you can ask if it's okay to try adding back the things you're missing.
  • pickledginger
    pickledginger Posts: 172
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    No need to substitute. If your normal intake is to eat one salad a day, just continue to eat one salad a day. It is important to not make any drastic changes in your diet when starting on blood thinners (i.e. don't drastically increase or decrease your intake of foods high in Vitamin K, such as dark leafy greens). Unless your physician or pharmacist tells you otherwise.

    Yes, this. One salad a day may be OK, as long as you are consistent. You probably would want to make sure you have a salad or salad-equivalent on your "cheat" days, too, to help keep things even. And that you skipped the salad if you were having greens in a soup or stirfry or something.

    When people tend to run into problems is if they have a huge mess of greens every once in a while, or they start and stop taking fish oil. (Vitamin K helps thicken blood. Fish oil helps thin it. Either one changes the amount of anticoagulant you need.)

    On the other hand, nice crisp sweet red bell pepper or sliced cucumber or radishes or carrot or summer squash can be good as fresh veggies, too.

    A lot is going to depend on how much of the drug you are on for what purpose -- and that's way above my head. Hope you can keep your salads!

    Maybe you could get an appointment with a nutritionist, or a consulting pharmacist, to talk.it over.
  • Kaathmandu
    Kaathmandu Posts: 129
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    DO NOT take advice from us over that from your specialist - did you talk to him about this?
    If you have just started blood thinners, chances are you are having blood tests to test your levels to make sure the dose is right, and adjust it if it isn't. No reason why the dose shouldn't be adjusted for someone eating a salad a day.
    And if your blood needed more thinning when you are already eating what your are eating, can't see why you would need to stop salads on medication?!
    But again, check with your doctor!
  • essensual911
    essensual911 Posts: 7 Member
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    Radish, beetroot, capsicum, cucumber, baby corn, bean spouts, grilled corn, green apple, water chestnuts, cauliflower, iceberg lettuce or the purple one, celery, tomato, quinoa, asparagus, onion, avocado or grilled eggplants, zuchini, mushroom. I think any combination of these would be great. It's just not as easy as eating a pre-boxed salad mix. Hope this helps.
  • julesw734
    julesw734 Posts: 100
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    I want to thank each and everyone of you... Gonna talk to my Cardiologist... I have had blood thinners before, but it was about 11 years ago.. Now that they put me back on I am not sure if One salad a day is ok... Thank you again
  • julesw734
    julesw734 Posts: 100
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    Radish, beetroot, capsicum, cucumber, baby corn, bean spouts, grilled corn, green apple, water chestnuts, cauliflower, iceberg lettuce or the purple one, celery, tomato, quinoa, asparagus, onion, avocado or grilled eggplants, zuchini, mushroom. I think any combination of these would be great. It's just not as easy as eating a pre-boxed salad mix. Hope this helps.
    . These substitutes actually sounds viable... I usually dont eat pre boxed salad mix..
  • julesw734
    julesw734 Posts: 100
    Options
    No need to substitute. If your normal intake is to eat one salad a day, just continue to eat one salad a day. It is important to not make any drastic changes in your diet when starting on blood thinners (i.e. don't drastically increase or decrease your intake of foods high in Vitamin K, such as dark leafy greens). Unless your physician or pharmacist tells you otherwise.

    Yes, this. One salad a day may be OK, as long as you are consistent. You probably would want to make sure you have a salad or salad-equivalent on your "cheat" days, too, to help keep things even. And that you skipped the salad if you were having greens in a soup or stirfry or something.

    When people tend to run into problems is if they have a huge mess of greens every once in a while, or they start and stop taking fish oil. (Vitamin K helps thicken blood. Fish oil helps thin it. Either one changes the amount of anticoagulant you need.)

    On the other hand, nice crisp sweet red bell pepper or sliced cucumber or radishes or carrot or summer squash can be good as fresh veggies, too.

    A lot is going to depend on how much of the drug you are on for what purpose -- and that's way above my head. Hope you can keep your salads!

    Maybe you could get an appointment with a nutritionist, or a consulting pharmacist, to talk.it over.
    . I love red bell peppers did not even think of just adding and mixing other veggies that are not the dark green lettuce... Thank you for the suggestion

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