I would like to commend West Milford Councilwoman CarlLa Horton for her press release about her recent stroke problem. Her submission to the Messenger provided a fine education for other residents who might have signs of a stroke, but might not recognize them or take proper action by getting to a hospital promptly. One of her comments was that people who have had a stroke should minimize their Vitamin K intake, as it is a blood-clotting vitamin. I know first hand that people with heart problems should also minimize their Vitamin K intake.
As most people have never heard of Vitamin K, I had brought handouts to the 8/21/13 Town Council Meeting with a list of vegetables that have a lot of Vitamin K. Those are mostly green leafy vegetables. Cooked spinach, kale and collard greens are extremely high in Vitamin K, with 444mcg, 531mcg, and 418mcg per half-cup respectively. Vegetables with a moderate level of Vitamin K include mustard greens (210mcg per half-cup), broccoli (110mcg per half-cup), and brussels sprouts (109mcg per half-cup).
Some dietary supplements can also affect how our blood clots. So, people with a high likelihood for a future stroke or heart attack should also avoid Vitamin E and fish-oil supplements, as well as garlic, ginger, ginkgo, horse chestnut, licorice, clover, St. John’s wort and tumeric. All too often, doctors don’t provide dietary information, as that doesn’t bring the kinds of financial benefits that prescriptions bring to the medical and pharmaceutical businesses. People with past stroke or heart problems might go onto the internet for other information on how to remain healthy, including getting sufficient daily exercise and sleep.
Doris Aaronson
West Milford