Many new parents may be aware of the importance of vitamin K in helping the body's blood to clot naturally. This is because some newborn babies are born without enough vitamin K, and therefore most health professionals advise administering a vitamin K injection at birth as a matter of routine, to ensure any child is capable of recovering from the birth safely.
Why is vitamin K important?
Vitamin K is vital in helping the blood clot normally. That is, from the tiniest scratch to a major cut or injury, the body should be able to normally start to control blood flow and heal through clotting, as soon as the injury occurs. Vitamin K also helps build healthy bones.
What are good sources of vitamin K?
If an older baby is perfectly healthy, his body should be able to synthesize vitamin K itself. However, green leafy vegetables like broccoli and spinach are good sources, as well as sprouts and green beans (if sprouts prove too strong a taste). Happily, vitamin K is present in much of a healthy diet and deficiency in vitamin K is quite rare.
