How to Test Food for Vitamin K

Vitamin K is a fat soluble vitamin that is helpful in a number of ways. Scientists and nutritionists have found that vitamin K can help prevent osteoporosis, heal wounds quicker, and enhance the quality of your skin. As vitamin K is not usually mentioned on ingredient listings, you need to research how much vitamin K is in your food.

Instructions

• 1

  Rule out meat and carbohydrate heavy foods. Although some meat, such as liver, can be a source for vitamin K, the nutrient is rarely found in meat, fish, beans, or legumes. If the dish is mostly a protein entree, it's likely to have a low vitamin K level.

• 2

  Check to see if any dairy or egg products are in your food. Vitamin K is featured prominently in egg yolks, milk, and some cheeses. You may be able to get as much as 10 micrograms of vitamin K from a slice of cheese or one egg.

• 3

  Note whether there are any green, leafy vegetables in the dish. Kale, spinach, or collard greens, for example, are very high in vitamin K. A cup of kale may have as much as 540 micrograms of vitamin K, while other leafy greens can range from 350 to 500 micrograms a cup.

• 4

  Note whether the fruits and vegetables in your meal are served raw. The raw quality tends to keep all the vitamin K nutrients within fruits and vegetables, unlike their cooked or processed versions. Fruits are less likely to have vitamin K, but any plant eaten raw will have higher levels than cooked.