Vitamin K2, Diet, & Bonus On Sweet Potato Leaves

I was looking into Vitamin K2 and ran into a couple of interesting bits.

Why K2? Because it helps put dietary calcium into your bones (so less osteoporosis issues) and keep it out of your soft tissues (so less “hardening of the arteries” and “plaque”).

Here’s a little discussion of it in a YouTube video. This video is about a plant based diet (something I keep tabs on due to some vegetarian family members) where the major sources are fermented foods that Americans rarely eat:

And then this page talks about dietary sources, largely meat and eggs which the Government Medical Industry is busy telling us not to eat:

https://www.webmd.com/diet/foods-high-in-vitamin-k2

Top Foods High in Vitamin K2
Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors
Reviewed by Kathleen M. Zelman, RD, LD, MPH on November 16, 2022

Vitamin K is an essential, fat-soluble nutrient our body needs for functions like healthy blood clotting. It comes in two forms:

Vitamin K1, (phylloquinone) found in leafy greens, vegetables, and some plant oils

Vitamin K2, (menaquinone) found in dairy, fermented foods, and animal products

You can also get vitamin K supplements, but clinical trials show that the vitamin K we consume from food is more effective in our bodies. Our bodies make some vitamin K in the colon, and most people get the rest of what they need from their diet.

Note that the video above makes the statement that K1 is metabolized / used in the liver, while K2 is used “in the rest of the body”; making K2 a bit “special” for things like arterial plaque and bones.

This implies to me that unless a vegetarian goes out of their way to get k2 via things like natto they are at increased risk of some calcium metabolism issues. (This may be moderated by a higher tendency for all that vegetarian diet to create fermentation products in the gut – a “Dig Here”…)

Note, too, that vitamin K2 is largely from animal products if you don’t go out of your way to eat a lot of fermented plant products. A bit of an issue, IMHO, what with the GEBs, WEFies, & Government Medical Agencies telling us to not eat a lot of animal products and demonizing eggs… I’m sure it’s just an accidental coincidence and has nothing to do with our epidemic of heart disease and osteoporosis in women…

Why You Need Vitamin K2
Both vitamins K1 and K2 ensure healthy blood clotting, preventing excessive bleeding and bruising when blood vessels get injured. But recent research suggests that they play different roles in other aspects of our health, with vitamin K2 adding health benefits independent of K1.

However, there is not yet a recommended intake set specifically for vitamin K2. You should get between 90 and 120 micrograms of vitamin K — but this requirement is based on the vitamin K1 needed to prevent bleeding.

Scientists studying vitamin K2’s effects suggest its benefits come with a daily intake of between 10 and 45 micrograms. But in the average diet, about 90% of the vitamin K consumed is K1.

So nobody really knows how much you need. It might be more important in the context of clotting issues. Most people get most of their Vit-K as K1 from plants.

In the following, the bolding is mine for editorial emphasis.

Getting vitamin K2 in our diets supports:

Heart Health

Vitamin K breaks down calcium in our bodies, and this effect helps prevent hard deposits (calcium and fatty material) from forming in artery walls. Smooth and flexible blood vessels ensure healthy circulation, reducing the risk of harmful blood clots and heart disease.

This effect may come from vitamin K2 alone, however. Studies show that a person’s risk of dying from heart disease falls by 9% for every 10 micrograms consumed a day, but found no association with K1 intake.

Strong Bones

Our bodies need calcium to build and maintain bones. When it breaks down calcium in our bodies, vitamin K2 activates a protein that helps the mineral bind to our bones to do its job.

While research is ongoing, studies show a higher K2 intake improves bone density and reduces the risk of bone fractures.

Anticancer Properties

Researchers have found that vitamin K2 may slow or stop cancer cell activity.k

Other studies show this may improve survival rates and reduce cancer’s recurrence. However, these studies have focused on only certain cancers, like liver and prostate, so much more research is needed.

So, to me, that looks rather important. we’ve also got something of an epidemic of cancer… what with the assertion that all men will eventually get prostate cancer if they live long enough.

So where do we get it?

Foods With Vitamin K2
Vitamin K is in many foods, but on average, most of what we consume is the K1 form found in plants. These eight vitamin K2-rich foods can help you achieve a better balance in your diet.

Note that the first one is an Asian food rarely eaten in America or Europe. From that point on, it is basically animal products. Often those that “Western Medicine” (as promoted by the Drug Company pwned Government Agencies… /snark;) tells us not to eat.

1. Natto

Natto is a Japanese dish made from fermented soybeans. It’s high in many nutrients that promote good gut health and is the richest source of vitamin K2 available. One tablespoon of Natto contains 150 micrograms of vitamin K2, about twice the recommended intake.

2. Eel

Though most vitamin K2 sources are animal-based, eel offers a seafood alternative. There are 63 micrograms in a 100-gram serving of eel, meeting your recommended level for the day.

3. Cheese

Cheeses are one of the best sources of vitamin K2 along with nutrients like calcium, vitamin A, and protein. However, they’re also high in saturated fats and calories, so you should moderate your portions. Vitamin K2 content varies based on the cheese, and it increases with age across all types. Common cheeses with the highest amount of vitamin K2 per 50-gram serving include:

50 micrograms in Munster
34 micrograms in Camembert
About 32 micrograms in Edam and aged Gouda
12 micrograms in cheddar

4. Beef Liver

Beef liver is one of the most nutritious meat products you can eat, containing your entire daily requirement for nutrients like vitamin A, riboflavin, folate, and copper. A 100-gram serving also has more than 11 micrograms of vitamin K2, making it the best meat-based source of the vitamin.

5. Chicken

If you’re not a fan of organ meats like liver, turn to chicken for your vitamin K2. With 10 micrograms per 100-gram serving, chicken has five to 10 times the vitamin K2 content of beef or pork.

6. Butter

Just a tablespoon of butter has 2.1 micrograms of vitamin K2. However, that same tablespoon contains about 100 calories and 11 grams of fat, so make sure to keep your servings small to avoid potential health risks and unwanted weight gain.

7. Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut is fermented cabbage with a distinctive sour flavor. Like with natto, this fermentation process offers many health benefits, like promoting good gut health and boosting immunity. With 2.75 micrograms per half-cup, sauerkraut is also a great source of vitamin K2.

8. Egg Yolk

An egg yolk can contain between 67 and 192 micrograms of vitamin K2. This amount depends on what the hen eats, however. Most chicken feed today is fortified with vitamin K, and this content passes onto the egg. But chickens fed corn or soy-based diets are more at risk of vitamin K deficiencies.

So just eating an egg or 2 a day gives you all you need as long as you eat the yolk; yet “whites only” are a big food fad promoted by the medical establishment. Hmmm…

I’m also going to be buying more “Free range” eggs and less industrial “corn & soy meal only” eggs.

So, OK, the diet I grew up with (and still follow to some significant degree) was heavy on liver, eggs, cheeses, Real Butter, roast & fried chicken, and sauerkraut (with weenies or sausages, still a favorite). Well that’s good news.

But what happens if you follow the “Guidelines” and eat the crickets with some margarine on your kale? Hmmm?

The big question from my POV is simple: Accident or by design? Given the recent history and the stated goals of the WEFies & GEBs, that’s a hard one to answer…

BTW, Dr. John Campbell also covers K2:

Me? I’m going to continue to eat my whole egg cheese omelettes fried in butter with buttered toast for breakfast. Also going to continue to enjoy Liver & Onions (again sauteed in butter…). Plus that Turkey Polish Sausage with Sauerkraut and a nice layer of mustard on it for lunch (or at hockey games ;-) After all, it’s gotten me to 70 without any significant medical issues and none of the current drop of “epidemics”… (Note that YMMV and I’m just talking about me).

Bonus On Sweet Potato Leavess

Just a minor note that I’ve had my first serving of Sweet Potato Leaves. A visit to the garden this morning showed about a 1 square foot strip of the sweet potato patch has had “Something” nip off and eat the leaves (leaving a minor forest of stems poking up wondering where their leaves have gone…)

I suspect the Squirrels, but it could be a possum too…

I figured “OK”, may as well pick a few myself and see what I think of them.

Simply boiled / steamed, they are very edible without any objectionable aspect. They are also very bland. Putting a pat of butter on them, they remind me of Chard Leaves but without the beet like overtones. I’d be happy to eat them by the bucket in hard times, but if you expect some compelling flavor, it isn’t there. However they ought to take all kinds of flavor modifications nicely. Lots of opportunities for spices and inclusion in savory dishes without a lot of shifting of the flavor profile.

So as a survival food or as a general “poverty food”, I think they are a great choice. For folks who can’t have spinach (due to, for example, oxalate problems in kidney stones) it could fill that niche. Note that I’ve not tasted them raw yet, but expect a similar bland result. Also, for folks who don’t like the strong flavor or Kale or the “earthy” aspect that can creep into beet greens / chard stems; it’s a nice alternative.

Now I just need to figure out how to stop whatever critter is grazing them… before they eat them all ;-) (Either that, or plant the whole lawn and harvest Very Fat Squirrels in the EOTWAWKI…) /sarc;