While delivering lunch to a patient taking warfarin (Coumadin), which food item would be a concern?

The concern with spinach arises from its high vitamin K content, which plays a critical role in the blood clotting process. Warfarin, an anticoagulant, works by inhibiting the vitamin K-dependent clotting factors to prevent blood clots. Therefore, consuming foods rich in vitamin K, like spinach, can interfere with the effectiveness of warfarin by promoting clotting factors that warfarin aims to suppress.

On the other hand, while broccoli also contains vitamin K, it is generally considered less of a concern compared to spinach in typical dietary contexts. Foods like chicken and rice have negligible effects on warfarin therapy since they do not significantly impact vitamin K levels. Monitoring and managing dietary vitamin K intake is essential for patients on warfarin to ensure stable international normalized ratio (INR) levels and optimal anticoagulation therapy.