Weight Loss & Blood Thinners

Here is a list of vit k content of some common foods:
Some foods that are high in vitamin K include spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, collard greens, bib and red leaf lettuce, mustard greens, turnip greens, watercress, parsley, endive, swiss chard, liver, green tea, mayonnaise, canola oil, and soybean oil. Some foods that are low in vitamin K are carrots, green beans, cauliflower, celery, eggplant, cucumber, mushrooms, onions, potato, green pepper, pumpkin, tomato, beef, chicken, turkey, pork, fish, corn oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, and fruits. Foods that have a moderate amount of vitamin K are pickles, green peas, iceberg lettuce, asparagus, avocado, red cabbage, margarine, and olive oil.
Mike

If I am not wrong, it is mostly dark greens that you need to avoid. So you can have iceberg lettuce, carrots, corn, peeled cucumbers, eggplant, mushrooms, bell peppers, potatoes, squash, turnips, ect.

Here is a nice chart http://www.med.unc.edu/im/files/patient-education-handouts/nutrition-and-diet-files/Vitamin K Content of Common Foods.pdf

I am on Coumadin as well thanks to an aortic root replacement complete with a new mechanical valve (anneurysm 2009). The most important thing is to keep your diet consistent. Being on "thinners" doesn't mean you should treat spinach like the plague, it just means that if you eat salads, or any other form of vitamin K-containing food, do it on a consistent basis. Get your PT/INR checked regurlay as your doctor will be trying to get you in therapeutic mode on your doses (meaning you are stable and your dose is keeping your INR in range). I am currently getting checked once a month. It took a long time to get me therapeutic, but I learned that keeping my diet consistent was the key. Hope this helps.

This takes the blood thinner question in a different direction. Since being placed on Coumadin a year ago I've gained 40 pounds and working like crazy to get it off. I'm also coming across more people who are on the same medicine and agree with me that the medicine definitely makes some people gain weight. Have you found that to be true also?

I just came off Warfarin, was on it for 9 months due to blood clots. I did not have weight gain, and in fact dropped over 50 lbs while I was on it. I did have a problem with my hair falling out (I have so much hair though that other people didn't notice, but I could feel the difference).

As far as vegetables go, my doctor told me I could continue to eat any veggies, but that I had to eat them very consistently. I chose to give up the greens altogether because I knew I would only be on blood thinners for 1 year. During this time, I ate a lot of tomatoes, banana peppers, onions, squash, pumpkins, carrots, etc. I eat Subway several times a week, so I always had them throw extra of these veggies on there. I know how hard it is to give these up, I never missed lettuce until I couldn't have it anymore!

I certainly have gained quite a bit in the past 5 years since I began taking Coumadin.

I'm also on Coumadin for the rest of my life. When I first got on Coumadin, I did in fact gain weight and at first struggled to get the weight off but I've learned that watching my salt levels seem to help me. My INR test constantly varied, so I actually cut down on the number of salads I eat in a day (from 3 to one big one at night during the work week) and watch my K.

I am on Warfarin possibly for the rest of my life. One thing I am consistent in is my levels I stay in between 2-3 but I agree with gaining weight because I have gained the most weight ever in my entire life. I beed help and I even eat a even amount of vitamin k to keep my levels leveled out.

im a lifer on coumadin.
i suggest eat a diet that is healthy and nutritious, full of fruits and veggies (minus seaweed), and test INR a few times during the month to stabilize your dosing. you do have to keep the diet constant, though.