Coumadin is an essential drug that has been used a blood thinner. While taking this drug, you have to maintain a low Vitamine K intake in your diet. This guide you tell what are foods and drink you shouldn’t eat and what are food to eat while taking Coumadin.
This post will give you a detailed information about what is Coumadin and mainly focus on the diet sheet to follow with precautions, warnings, and more effective usage.
Table of Contents
Low Vitamin K Foods For A Coumadin Diet
When consuming Coumadin, it is extremely vital to maintain the PT/INR ( Prothrombin Time and International Normalized Ratio ) levels stable.
A low INR means a higher risk of clotting, whereas, high INR means a higher risk of bleeding. Coumadin increases INR, and Vitamin K decreases it.
Consider the following points to maintain the INR level:
- Restrict eating more than one serving of a high Vitamin K food and not more than 3 for a moderate content in Vitamin k.
- Intake of Vitamin K should be consistent.
- Take no more than 800|U of Vitamin E supplements.
- Avoid alcohol to the greatest extent possible.
- Take the same amount of Coumadin each day at the same time.
- Check with your physician or pharmacist for intake of antibiotics to adjust with Coumadin. Different antibiotics work differently by either increasing Vitamin k or decreasing the content of the same.
Foods To Avoid While Taking Coumadin
Below are list of food you should avoid while on coumadin diet.
1.Green Vegetables
Certain green leafy vegetables like cabbage, lettuce, spinach have a very high content of vitamin K in them, and therefore, their intake should be minimal with Coumadin.
We suggest you cross-check before eating any green vegetable/shrub as most of the green colored of eatables are high in vitamin K, like collard greens and broccoli, kale, basils, Brussels sprout to add more to it.
2.Herbal Products
Herbs can potentially react with Coumadin or warfarin and cause an adverse effect on the therapy. Angelica root, arnica flower, anise, asafoetida, celery, fenugreek, horse chestnut, parsley, passionflower herb, red clover, rue, clove, turmeric should be avoided to the extent that they have a negligible amount in the food.
3.The ‘G’ Products
The G- products include Ginger and Garlic which constitute to be one of the widely used ingredients in households across the globe.
No doubt, these have innumerable medicinal properties to cure but not when one is taking Coumadin! Ginger and garlic develop a serious interaction with Coumadin inside the body and may increase the INR level.
So, do check your level after consumption of these, as they are hard to avoid!
4.Green Tea
Green tea is a great source of antioxidant and a perfect detoxifying agent and a stimulant, but researches and experiments suggest that it can be harmful when taken with blood thinners. Green tea prevents platelets from clotting on interaction with Coumadin.
5.Soybeans
Soybeans/ soybean oil/ soy milk in high doses can be dangerous because of high vitamin K content. Pulmonary embolism and severe and strokes can be the result of the intake of these with Coumadin. Delicious and hard to resist, but health comes first!
6.Fruits And Dried Fruits
Fruits and dried fruits are known for their high vitamin K quality which negates coumadin ’s effect. Cranberries, prunes or dried plums, kiwi, avocados, blackberries, grapefruit should be taken in limited quantities.
7.Fats And Oils
Canola, margarine, and olive oil impact the way Coumadin works and thus, take precautions and have a thorough check on the ingredient list while purchasing food from the market!
8.Store-Bought Products
Mayonnaise, salad dressings, margarine from shops contain fats, oils, and herbs that work against warfarin. Make sure you stay away from ready to eat products and cross check the ingredients!
9.Alcohol
Alcohol is injurious to health and consumption of this when on medication can be ultra perilous for body organs. In other words, alcohol will be a good conductor in ruining your health!
Foods To Include In Diet While Taking Coumadin
Here, we provide you with a list of fruits and vegetables which are extremely low in Vitamin k which you can consume without any fear during Coumadin diet.
1.Mushrooms
Yes, mushrooms! Mushrooms are extremely delicious, and you can count on it anytime. Portabella mushrooms, white mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms can be a healthy part of your meal, being low in vitamin K.
2.Tomatoes
This wonderful fruit is healthy for you in many ways, so you can have it in any form (raw or cooked) without paying any heed to any side effect.
3.Cucumber
Cucumber is the best fiber having nil of Vitamin K content. It will fill your stomach and boost mechanism.
4.Onions, Turnips, Beetroots
This family of root plants works well with Coumadin with no negative aspect in form (raw or cooked).
5.Potatoes
Potatoes come in the top list of vegetable consumption around the world, which means, humans just love potatoes! So, we are happy to tell you that you can enjoy your favorite potato dish without any obstruction! Harsh potato, sweet potato are both equally good.
6.Dried Fruits
Dried figs, dates, raisins, dates, raw plums have very low vitamin K in them to your delight!
7.Fruits
There are endless fruits, half of which are high in Vitamin K and the other half is extremely low. Honeydew, bananas, peaches, papaya, cantaloupe, strawberries, apple, pineapple, muskmelons, and watermelons are few that you can half regularly without any restriction.
What Is Coumadin?
Coumadin (Warfarin Sodium) is blood coagulating medicated drug. It is used to treat blood clots or help in the prevention of further clotting of existing blood clot.
Irregular heart rhythm, heart valve replacement, heart attacks and certain surgeries in the body tend to develop serious blood clots in the body, for which Coumadin is used as a blood-thinner.
What Is The Use Of Vitamin K In The Body?
Vitamin K is an essential body requirement in the functioning of the blood system. It helps in the necessary blood coagulation to avoid excess bleeding and loss of energy.
Therefore, people with deficient Vitamin K tend to develop this problem of excess bleeding and negligible blood clotting.
Consumption of Coumadin along with Vitamin K in food tends to prolong the time taken by the body to clot the blood and hence, works against the consumption of Coumadin.
For this reason, it is advisable to stick to a diet sheet and avoid food that has a high content of Vitamin k in them.
Final Talk
There are many vegetables, fruits, and grains that have a low content of Vitamin K which can be eaten, the list being long.
For a good understanding, you should keep in mind the exceptions that have a high Vitamin k content which can work adversely with Coumadin.
Prevention from a further worsening of your health and keeping you safe to encounter any is our motive. Be safe from even the natural food out there which can cause harm in some instances. Keep yourself healthy because when health is lost, everything is lost!
