Tag Archives: blood thinner

Cheese Whiz: How Much Vitamin K?

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I have not had Cheese Whiz in decades…  On reflection, it seemed to be one of the thing that came out of the 1980s.

In Cheese Whiz (source):

  • 1 ounce/28 grams contains no vitamin K
  • 3.5 ounces/100 grams contains no vitamin K

What it is, is a lot of fat, sodium, and cholesterol.  It is high in calcium, and calories.

Leeks: How Much Vitamin K?

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Sad news if you’re on warfarin/coumadin, and love leeks – they are quite high in vitamin K (cooked or raw):

  • 1 ounce/28 grams of cooked leek contains 7.1 mcg of vitamin K, 9 % Daily Value (DV)
  • ~3.5 ounces/100 grams of cooked leek contains 25.4 mcg of vitamin K, 32 % DV

If it’s a consistent part of your diet, your medication dose already covers it.  But you could save a bit on medication if you minimized (or stopped to eat an alternative).  Otherwise, like all other foods that are high in vitamin K that aren’t part of your consistent diet – I suggest that you eat after a blood test in hopes of having enough time to get your INR level back to the same level.  But that’s something I’d only suggest if your testing interval is upwards of a month.

Leek: How Much Vitamin K?

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Unless it’s a consistent part of your diet, consuming leek will mess with your INR:

If leek is a part of your diet, you could probably save on medication expense if you no longer consume leek.   I’m just sayin’…

Turbinado Sugar: How Much Vitamin K?

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It’s sugar, so…

  • 1 ounce/28 grams of turbinado sugar contains 0 mcg of vitamin K – 0% Daily Value (DV)
  • 3.5 ounces/100 grams of turbinado sugar contains 0 mcg of vitamin K – 0% Daily Value (DV)

There’s nothing in it but carbohydrates.

Another popular name for this sugar is “sugar in the raw”.  Turbinado sugar is from pure cane sugar extract. The term “turbinado” comes from the technique used in the making of this sugar. The sugar is spun in a cylinder or turbine. Turbinado sugar is brown looking like brown sugar, but paler in color with a subtle molasses flavor.

Related read: What’s the Difference? Muscovado, Demerara, & Turbinado

Spaghetti Squash Pomodoro Is a Super Easy Weeknight Meal

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That is way too easy…

How much vitamin K you ask? See for yourself:

  • 1 cup/155 grams of spaghetti squash contains 1.2 mcg of vitamin K – 2% Daily Value (DV)
  • 100 grams of spaghetti squash contains 0.8 mcg of vitamin K – 1% DV
  • 1 ounce/28 grams of spaghetti squash contains 0.2 mcg of vitamin K – 0% DV

Basil is very high in vitamin K however, so I’d be very sparing with the basil…

Make Mushroom “Jerky” For an Umami-Packed Snack Anyone Can Enjoy

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Not for those allergic to mushrooms, obviously 😉

These super salty, slightly tangy slices make a great addition to wraps, sandwiches, salads, and more. Keep them in your fridge for a quick snack or a means of adding intensity and umami to any dish!

Source: Vegan Mushroom “Jerky” (Slow-Roasted Mushroom Strips)

The recipe is similar to the this one for vegan smoked mushroom “bacon”, which is liable to be cheaper than the algae that tastes like bacon…

Always cool to see what substitutions/alternatives people have come up with.  Traditional jerky uses meat, and has been suggested as a reasonable source of protein.  100 grams of beef jerky contains 33.2 grams of protein, and 2.3 mcg of vitamin K (3% Daily Value).  Grilled portobella mushroom has 5.2 grams of protein per 1 cup/121 grams, and no vitamin K.  Win some, lose some…

Pavlova: How Much Vitamin K?

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This gets tricky, because Pavlova is a recipe… which can be customized to some degree.  But here goes…

Pavlova is made by beating egg whites (and sometimes salt) to a very stiff consistency before folding in caster (AKA very fine, berry…) sugar, white/distilled vinegar or another acid (e.g. cream of tartar or lemon juice), cornflour, and sometimes vanilla essence, and slow-baking the mixture, similar to meringue.  So said Wikipedia anyway…

On that note, Pavlova doesn’t appear to have much if any vitamin K in it.  But it depends on what you serve on top of the Pavlova…  I’ve covered the vitamin K content of various dairy cream in the past.  You’ll have to investigate for yourself what the vitamin K content of the fruit that was served with or on it.

Factor V Leiden Thrombophilia

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Today I learnt about Factor V Leiden thrombophilia, because I found out my father has it. He suffered a Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) and Pulmonary Embolism (PE) a couple of years after I had my first.  Many people are asymptomatic carriers for Factor V, like Typhoid Mary but as it’s hereditary – Factor V is not contagious.

From the wikipedia page:

  • ~5% of North Americans have Factor V
  • ~30% of people who have a DVT or PE have Factor V
  • Women with Factor V have a substantially increased risk of clotting while pregnant or on estrogen-containing birth control pills (including hormone replacement)

I’ve got a call into my hematologist because I was told that I did not have any of the known hereditary things that they tested for.  That was ~10 years ago, but I’m am anxious to hear if something was missed – maybe someone forgot to run the test?  Whatever the reason, it’d be a comfort to know if I have Factor V.  Without any knowledge, all I can do is treat the symptoms.  Which can be too late.

About That INR Level…

My father beat me for “highest INR level” – his was 5.3 at one point.  I think mine was 4.1?  At first glance it’s funny, but there’s a serious risk of “spontaneous” bleeding.  He learnt what I’ve always said in previous posts about the vitamin K content of various foods: A “low” rating depends on the amount.  The vitamin K content adds up (it’s cumulative) in proportion to the amount of that food you eat.  He loves ginger apparently.  I do too, but I don’t like constant INR testing…

Musing on Medical Alerts

We also discussed means of communicating health issues in the event that we aren’t able to communicate them to strangers.  There’s no standardization for things like medical alert bracelets, which would automatically be removed by hospital staff because of constriction/compression risk.  That’s assuming the bracelet/etc survives whatever happened to require that.  I’d looked into tattoos, and settled on temporary tattoos.  Nothing is perfect – my temp tattoo would list information in English, and could be destroyed (even partially).  But on the upper chest, two at the clavicle (either side of the neck) would be visible when clothing is removed.  You can buy custom temp tattoos online, in bulk…