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Q: Does freezing "kill" the Vitamin K in foods?
My husband is on Coumadin. A friend told him that freezing vegetables "kills" the vitamin K. Is this true?
Q: Dr. Gourmet Says...
I am sorry but your friend is incorrect. Freezing vegetables does not "kill" the Vitamin K.
For instance, the reported amount of Vitamin K in 1 cup of frozen chopped broccoli is 143 mcg. This would be considered a very high amount of Vitamin K. A cup of raw chopped broccoli, by contrast, has only 93 mcg. This is because of the difference in volume that occurs during the freezing process.
Most vegetables are flash frozen near the fields where they are picked and often retain more of their essential nutrients including vitamins and minerals than when we have the fresh veggie trucked across country to us.
If you are taking Coumadin® (warfarin), looking at the lists of ingredients that you will find in the links below can help guide you.
Basic list
http://www.drgourmet.com/md/warfarinbrief.pdf
List of foods with relative amounts of Vitamin K
http://www.drgourmet.com/md/relativewarfarinlist.pdf
Comprehensive list
http://www.drgourmet.com/md/warfarincomprehensive.pdf
Every recipe now has a section of Special Diet Information that can help determine if a recipe might be safe for you if you are using Coumadin or have other health issues like Acid Reflux, Lactose Intolerance or need to be on a low-sodium diet. Over the coming months this section will be expanded to include other conditions such as gout and information for those who are sensitive to gluten (wheat products).
The Ask Dr. Gourmet section on the website has a listing of questions that have been asked by readers like yourself. The questions and answers are posted on this page:
http://www.drgourmet.com/askdrgourmet/index.shtml
In addition there is an easy way to find out about the nutrition content of any food. The USDA National Nutrient Database is at this link:
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/
Thanks for writing,
Dr. Gourmet
Eat well, eat healthy, enjoy life!
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