carolinemc
Well-known member
Does anyone know the vitamin K content of butter leatuce? This is a new food that I am leary of trying without some advice first. Thanks.
Butter lettuce
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Lettuces don't seem to budge my INR much at all....but spinach, kale, etc are the high K items that need to be spread out over the week for me. Enjoy a normal serving and see how it goes, don't binge. 
Jkm7
Well-known member
Butter lettuce is also known as Boston or Bibb lettuce (and is delicious IMO) .
I googled and here is notation re: Vitamin K:
.I googled and here is notation re: Vitamin K:
Lettuces don't seem to budge my INR much at all....but spinach, kale, etc are the high K items that need to be spread out over the week for me. Enjoy a normal serving and see how it goes, don't binge.
And if you happen to binge like I do, since I have certain moods for certain foods, you can adjust your dose as needed. After the surgery I was anxious about what to eat and how much and what to avoid, but not anymore now...I am more relaxed and less worrisome about it.
I know it is natural to worry about vitamin k levels in food at first but there is no need ... after nearly 6 years on warfarin I eat what I want when I want it and as much as I want ... but I am consistent and do not vary my diet much ... my point is that you control your INR with your dose of warfarin, not by what you eat ... the old saying around here, "dose the diet, don't diet the dose" ... I am sure some anticoagulation gurus will chime in with better explanations ... if I worried about everything I ate I would go nuts (no comment please :tongue2
Unless you are planning on eating a bushel of it, I wouldn't worry about it. I don't eat that lettuce very often, but I eat a ton of iceberg and Romain(my favorite).:biggrin2:
Jkm7
Well-known member
Here is a comparison between Iceberg and Romaine Lettuce.
Usually the darker the green, the more vitamin K it contains. I wouldn't even think twice about eating butter lettuce unless like Dick said you plan on eating a bushel.
It's hard to "dose the diet" when you have lab work once a month. Currently, I'm waiting on an appeal with my ins co to decide if they will pay for a home tester. So if I have something which is high in Vit K, I try not to have more than 1 serving--I would rather do without these foods that HAVE to have the same amount every day. It's impossible for me to know if these foods are affecting my INR with the next lab being up to 4 wks away. The thought of going to a lab once a month for the rest of my life is rather depressing. Without a VERY consistent diet, testing once a month is really meaningless. How many times during that month was I under or over target range? I would soooo much rather home test and self dose. Mary
Everyone is different and I respect your opinions and feelings on this subject but you DO NOT have to eat the same amount every day ... I test once a month and have not had an issue in almost six years ... I got pretty freaked out when I was new to this but I learned that the old timers had the answer, consistency ... and consistency does not mean measuring or weighing everything you eat ... I hope you get your home tester, many home test and many don't ... good luck!
Butter head lettuce is low in vitamin K.
In the box, just type in Butterhead lettuce
http://www.ptinr.com/data/pages/vkregistry.aspx
Enjoy, eat the amount you would normally would with any other type of lettuce.
In the box, just type in Butterhead lettuce
http://www.ptinr.com/data/pages/vkregistry.aspx
Enjoy, eat the amount you would normally would with any other type of lettuce.
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Home testing is definitely empowering. Unless your INRs are VERY consistent, month to month, it's somewhat surprising that you're on that long a schedule between tests. When I had a cardiologist, he wanted testing AT LEAST once every two weeks -- a month between tests would have upset this doctor.
I test weekly - primarily because I have the supplies to do it, and if I don't test weekly, they'll expire before I use them up. (I got my meters on eBay, and the ProTime 3 that I'm using is accurate and seems to be doing a good job. It's been in agreement with the ProTime that I replaced it with - and the ProTime matched a hospital lab's values last year. It's not as compact as a CoaguChek or InRatio, takes a bit more blood, and doesn't give me a result as quickly, but it gets the job done -- and on eBay they're quite affordable).
If I make major changes to acivities, or start taking some strange supplement my wife thinks I need, I may test a bit more often, just to make sure there are no changes. Waiting for a month to learn that there is, or isn't, any effect can be somewhat dangerous.
Although you don't have to always be precise in your consistency, and your INRs normally vary slightly day to day or week to week, I'm not sure that monthly testing is good for most people, and it is really good to be able to test more often just to confirm that you stay in range.
I test weekly - primarily because I have the supplies to do it, and if I don't test weekly, they'll expire before I use them up. (I got my meters on eBay, and the ProTime 3 that I'm using is accurate and seems to be doing a good job. It's been in agreement with the ProTime that I replaced it with - and the ProTime matched a hospital lab's values last year. It's not as compact as a CoaguChek or InRatio, takes a bit more blood, and doesn't give me a result as quickly, but it gets the job done -- and on eBay they're quite affordable).
If I make major changes to acivities, or start taking some strange supplement my wife thinks I need, I may test a bit more often, just to make sure there are no changes. Waiting for a month to learn that there is, or isn't, any effect can be somewhat dangerous.
Although you don't have to always be precise in your consistency, and your INRs normally vary slightly day to day or week to week, I'm not sure that monthly testing is good for most people, and it is really good to be able to test more often just to confirm that you stay in range.
Again, it is consistency ... starting a new exercise routine or "strange supplement" is not being consistent ... I don't have a meter but my insurance pays for me to test as often as I want or think I need to ... my way is not for everyone and probably not for most but ACT is not rocket science and I think we should be careful not so scare people unnecessarily ... I know someone who tests weekly and still had a stroke ... peace out
Right. I may test more often if I feel that I'm not as consistent - like when making major changes in activities or taking a 'strange supplement.' It's great if your insurance will cover tests when you feel you've been inconsistent enough that you may have caused a change in INR.
ACT is certainly NOT rocket science, and not something to be unnecessarily stressed over. (Your story someone who tests weekly and still had a stroke SCARES ME. Was this person in range when s/he had the stroke?). Of course, people can still have strokes that aren't caused by a clot in or around the valve -- and with little to do with INR or anticoagulant dosing.
The best we can do is try to keep consistent, test at intervals the doctors or clinics advise (or when we feel we've made changes that could effect INR), and to keep our INRs within range.
ACT is certainly NOT rocket science, and not something to be unnecessarily stressed over. (Your story someone who tests weekly and still had a stroke SCARES ME. Was this person in range when s/he had the stroke?). Of course, people can still have strokes that aren't caused by a clot in or around the valve -- and with little to do with INR or anticoagulant dosing.
The best we can do is try to keep consistent, test at intervals the doctors or clinics advise (or when we feel we've made changes that could effect INR), and to keep our INRs within range.
I eat green and leafy salad consistently everyday and am consistently in range ... if you love green and leafy, eat it, just be consistent ....:thumbup:
We will have to agree to disagree on certain ACT points ... everyone is different ... I just refuse to live in fear ...
You shouldn't deprive yourself of the foods you like to eat. There are other nutrients in those green and leafy foods are bodies need.
Not much more to add to this. It's not wrong to eat your greens. Heck, I've even started to eat cooked pea's since my surgery.
Me Love Greens Gimmee some please.
Gimmee some please.carolinemc
Well-known member
I was asking to get informed, just everyone calm down. We all are still learning things even years later. Please have some peace here. I wanted to see what others knew before trying it. Thanks for the info and keep peace full thougts.
