 | Lisa Vermillion is President and co-owner of Get Fit Bee Fit and Thin and Healthy Weight Management. Lisa opened Get Fit- 4 years ago in Valley Center, after receiving certifications thorough the American Council on Exercise as a Weight and Lifestyle Management Consultant and Certified Personal Trainer. In January, she Grand Opened Thin and Healthy Weight Management in the same location. Lisa not only provides weight loss programs for individuals but she also implements business wellness programs for small businesses and large corporations. Additionally, Lisa is a Certified Life Coach providing guidance for individuals in the areas of career, relationship and personal development. She is available for speaking engagements in the areas of Physical Fitness, Weight Management, or any Life Coaching area (goal setting, positive attitude, sales, etc). Lisa can be reached for questions or speaking engagements by phone (316) 755-1115 or email at mvmillion@yahoo.com |
Diet & Nutrition
2007-12-01 10:04:00
Does food decrease effects of medication?
I take Coumadin and I was told not to eat broccoli, cabbage, dark greens, spinach, or drink cranberry juice. What about brussel sprouts and cauliflower? I live in a retirement complex and once a month we have bratwurst with sauerkraut. Would it hurt me if I was to eat the sauerkraut once in a while?
Answer: . For those who aren’t familiar with the drug, Coumadin is typically used for an anticoagulant (blood thinner). It can help reduce the formation of blood clots. It can be used to prevent heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots in veins and arteries according to the web site Drugs.com. Foods that are high in Vitamin K like those you mentioned tend to decrease the effects of Coumadin.
Although I am not a dietician I checked with our dietician Erin Neth, RD, LD (Registered, Licensed Dietitian.) She suggested that there are not any foods a person must avoid completely while taking Coumadin, however, she does suggest that the foods you eat remain the same and in the same quantity and avoid sudden changes in your diet. For example; if you normally eat ½ cup of brussel spouts two times per week, then it’s ok to continue to do that. However, if you just eat a particular food only occasionally, it is more likely to have an adverse affect of your labs. Do not change the amount of these foods in your diet without first talking to your doctor.
Foods high in Vitamin K include: beef liver, pork liver, green tea, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, chick peas, kale, spinach, turnip greens and other greens. Foods moderate in Vitamin K include : chicken liver, cheddar cheese, asparagus, cabbage, cole slaw, sauerkraut, iceburg lettuce and soybean oil.
Cranberry juice and grapefruit juice should be limited to 4 oz. daily.
Foods that appear to contain low amounts of Vitamin K include roots, bulbs, tubers, the fleshy portion of fruits, fruit juices, and other beverages. Likewise, cereal grains and their milled products appear to be low in Vitamin K according to the Coumadin .com web site. That site also has a fairly comprehensive list of foods and beverages ranked according to low, medium and high levels of Vitamin K.
For the rest of the population that aren’t at risk for clotting problems, however, Vitamin K is important. Vitamin K is known to be needed to coagulate blood and it plays a key role in proper development of the fetus in pregnant women. It also activates at least three proteins involved in bone health, says Sarah Booth. She is in the Vitamin K Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston.
“ The RDA is 65 µg (micrograms) per day for adult females and 80 µg per day for adult males.
A recent survey Booth conducted in collaboration with the Proctor & Gamble Company supported what she had seen in an earlier study of U.S. diets by the Vitamin K lab. If you’re between the ages of 18 and 44, there’s a good chance you didn’t get enough Vitamin K . She and her colleagues estimated Vitamin K intake from 14-day food intake diaries of a nationwide sample of about 2,000 households.
“People over age 65 consumed more than those in the 20 to 40 age bracket,” she says. Only half the females age 13 and over and less than half the males got the RDA, she notes. “This confirms there are very low intakes nationwide.”
Deficiencies of Vitamin K have been linked to: heavy menstrual bleeding, gastrointestinal bleeding, hematuria (blood in the urine), nosebleeds, prolonged clotting times, hematomas, hemorrhaging, easy bruising, osteopenia, osteoporosis, and fractures to name a few.
Bottom line, if you’re not having problems, eat a balanced diet including plenty of leafy greens and fruits and other vegetables.
