Vitamin K Diet: Foods, Benefits, and What You Need to Know

When you think about vitamin K, a fat-soluble nutrient essential for blood clotting and bone health. Also known as phylloquinone, it’s not something you hear about often—but without it, even a small cut could become dangerous. Most people get enough from their diet, but if you’re on blood thinners like warfarin, or have digestive issues, you might not be getting what your body actually needs.

Vitamin K1, the main form found in plants. Also known as phylloquinone, it’s what you get from leafy greens. Think spinach, kale, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts—just one cup of cooked kale gives you more than 10 times your daily need. Then there’s vitamin K2, made by bacteria and found in fermented foods and animal products. Also known as menaquinone, it helps move calcium into your bones instead of letting it build up in your arteries. Natto, a fermented soybean dish popular in Japan, is the richest source. Cheese, egg yolks, and chicken liver also contain it.

Why does this matter? If you’re taking warfarin, too much vitamin K can make the drug less effective. But if you’re not getting enough, your blood won’t clot properly, and your bones might weaken over time. It’s not about avoiding vitamin K—it’s about keeping it steady. People with Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, or those who’ve had gastric bypass surgery often struggle to absorb it. Even long-term antibiotic use can knock out the gut bacteria that help make K2.

You won’t find many headlines about vitamin K deficiency—it’s rare in healthy adults. But signs include easy bruising, nosebleeds, bleeding gums, or blood in your stool. In babies, it can cause dangerous bleeding, which is why they get a shot at birth. For most adults, the answer isn’t a supplement. It’s food. A salad with spinach, olive oil, and hard-boiled eggs gives you K1, K2, and healthy fats to help your body use it. No pills needed.

What you’ll find in the articles below are real, practical insights: how vitamin K interacts with blood thinners, what foods actually deliver the most, why some people need more than others, and how to avoid common mistakes that mess with your levels. No theory. No guesswork. Just what works.