Top 10 Real Foods with Vitamin K, for Quick Healing and Healthy Bones

Health Benefits of Vitamin K

Vitamin K, superfoods, real food diet child with band-aid on knee

Found in many leafy greens, vitamin K is used by your body to form blood clots and is also essential in forming various bone proteins necessary for bone formation and repair.

The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for adult males is 120 μg (micrograms) and 90 μg for adult females.

Here are the top foods sources of vitamin K according to the USDA’s National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.

Kale

kale, superfoods, vitamin k, healthy recipes, real food diet Kale

Topping the leafy charts with the highest amount of vitamin K is kale, which has 1147 μg per cup. But be wary: the Environmental Working Group's 2009 list of dirty dozen foods with the highest pesticide residue included kale. Look for kale at local farmers' markets in fall and winter, and be sure to ask your farmer how he grows this leafy green superfood.

Recipes:
Sauteed Kale with Garlic and Red Onions
Chickpea, Kale and Tomato Salad
Peasant-Style Potato and Kale Soup
Curly Kale Soup

Collards

collards, collard greens, superfoods, vitamin k, healthy recipes, real food diet collard greens

This soul food staple boasts 1059 μg per cup. And the nutrition doesn't stop with vitamin K. This superfood is also bursting with both Vitamin A and beta carotene. Look for collards at the winter farmers' market to find this leafy green in season.

Recipes:
Collard Greens with Bacon and Cider Vinegar
Southern Vegetable Saute
BBQ Chicken with Collard Greens and Crushed Sweet Potato
Red Bean and Collard Gumbo
Hot Collard Slaw
Apple Cider Braised Greens

Spinach

spinach, superfoods, vitamin k, vitamin a, beta carotene, iron, healthy recipes, real food diet spinach

Spinach is a widely recognized superfood – and for good reason. Popeye’s go-to health food was made famous for its iron content, and spinach is also recognized as a top source of Vitamin A and beta carotene but the number one nutrient in spinach is Vitamin K. One cup of these greens is filled with 1027 μg of the nutrient.

Another great thing about spinach? It's one of the first crops to mature in spring, so you can find it early at the farmers' market.

Recipes:
Grapefruit and Spinach Salad
Florentine Frittata
Japanese Spinach Soup
Pancakes with Spinach Filling
Spinach Strata
Creamy Rigatoni with Spinach

Turnip Greens

turnip greens, vitamin a, vitamin k, superfoods, real food diet turnips and turnip greens The greens on this common root vegetable are just as edible as they are nutritious. Half a cup of turnip greens have 441 mg of vitamin A (in the form of beta carotene), 851 μg of vitamin K and just 24 calories -- and with vitamin C, folate and calcium as well, they're far more nutritious than the turnip itself. Try young leaves as an accent to a salad, or boil twice, replacing the water in between, to serve as a side dish. Also look for mustard and dandelion greens for a similar leafy health boost.

Beet Greens

beets, beet greens, vitamin a, vitamin k, beta carotene, potassium, superfood, real food diet, healthy recipes Beets and beet greens

Beet greens are a top source of several nutrients, with 276 mg of Vitamin A (in the form of beta carotene), 697 μg of vitamin K, 655 mg of potassium and just 19 calories per half a cup. Like turnip greens, you can find these at your local farmers' market (or you can grow them yourself). Try substituting this superfood in recipes for collards.

Recipes:
Beet Greens with Bacon and Cider Vinegar
Southern Vegetable Sauté
BBQ Chicken with Beet Greens and Crushed Sweet Potato
Red Bean and Beet Green Gumbo
Hot Beet Green Slaw
Apple Cider Braised Greens

Dandelion Greens

dandelion greens, vitamin k, superfoods, real food diet, healthy recipes dandelion greens

Arguably the first green veggie of spring, dandelions are a top source of Vitamin K. Before you let someone tell you those are weeds in your yard, remind them dandelion greens have 579 μg of Vitamin K per cup.

"Wildman" Steve Brill, the famous urban forager, recommends harvesting dandelion greens from plants without flowers early in spring and after a fall frost, when they're less bitter. You can also double-boil the leaves (losing many nutrients) to reduce bitterness and substitute them in recipes calling for collards or other bitter greens. "Dandelion greens are wonderful in salads, sauteed or steamed," Brill writes. "They taste like chicory and endive, with an intense heartiness overlying a bitter tinge."

You probably already grow them yourself, so pick them when in season and add them to Pasta with Dandelions and Prosciutto, this Beet and Dandelion Salad or other green salads.

Mustard Greens

mustard greens, vitamin k, superfoods, healthy recipes, real food diet mustard greens

Add a peppery flavor to your cooking with mustard greens, which have 419 μg of vitamin K per cup.

Recipe:
Grilled Pork Medallion with Preserved Lemon, Mustard Greens and Bulgur Wheat

Brussels Sprouts

Vitamin C, Vitamin K, superfoods, brussels sprouts, real food diet, healthy recipes brussels sprouts

This veggie may not be the most kid-friendly choice, but it is a true superfood -- packed with both 48 mg of Vitamin C, 300 μg of Vitamin K and just 28 calories.

Recipes:
Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Baby Carrots and Pearl Onions
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts and Prunes

Broccoli

broccoli, vitamin k, superfoods, winter farmers market, real food diet, healthy recipes broccoli

One cup of broccoli has 220 μg of vitamin K, and you can often find it locally at winter farmers' markets. And if you're pinched for cash, don't fret too much about buying organic; broccoli is among the least likely vegetables to carry pesticide residue.

Recipes:
Broccoli-Cheese Polenta Pizza
Broccoli and Cheddar Kugel
Warm Quinoa and Broccoli Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing
Szechuan Shrimp with Mango Rice and Sesame Broccoli
Vegetable with Sesame Vinaigrette
Whole Wheat Pasta with Garlicky Greens
Whole Wheat Pita Pizzas with Vegetables
Root Cellar Salad

Scallions

scallions, vitamin k, real food diet, superfoods scallions

Used in many recipes around the world, these pungent greens have 207 μg of vitamin K. Look for these delightfully tasty "green onions" (they go many names) at spring farmers' markets or grow some yourself. Toss them in a salad, use them as a garnish or try them in one of these tasty recipes:

Recipes:
Wild Salmon with Ginger and Green Onions
Dried Tomato/Green Onion Couscous
Ricotta-Green Onion Gnocchi
Vegetables with Sesame Vinaigrette
Shrimp Spring Rolls and Lettuce Wraps
Wild Rice Salad with Basil and Tomatoes
Sesame Noodles

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