Warfarin diet: What foods should I avoid?

Warfarin is a blood-thinning medicine that helps treat and prevent blood clots. There’s no special diet for people who take warfarin. But some foods and drinks can make it harder for warfarin to prevent blood clots. It’s important to pay attention to what you eat and drink while taking this medicine.

For example, vitamin K can make warfarin less effective. So it’s important to get about the same amount of vitamin K every day. The recommended daily amount of vitamin K for adult men is 120 micrograms (mcg). For adult women, it’s 90 mcg.

To keep a steady level of vitamin K in your diet, do not change the amounts of vitamin K-rich foods or drinks you have from day to day or week to week. Vitamin K-rich foods include:

• Asparagus.
• Broccoli.
• Brussels sprouts.
• Collard greens.
• Kale.
• Mustard greens.
• Seaweed.
• Spinach.
• Swiss chard.
• Turnip greens.

Drinking certain liquids while taking warfarin might lead to bleeding problems. Do not use or only drink small amounts of the following when taking warfarin:

• Alcohol.
• Chamomile or green tea.
• Cranberry juice.
• Grapefruit juice.

Talk with your healthcare team before making major diet changes. Also tell your team about all the medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements that you take. If you are sick and can’t eat for a few days or have ongoing stomachaches, diarrhea or fever, call your healthcare team.