On Sat, 06 Dec 2008 19:52:33 -0600, Janet Wilder wrote:

> SteveB wrote:
>>> Good Friends. Good Life
>>
>> You, apparently are an uninformed person. Spinach is one of the top three
>> things that one taking Coumadin can NOT eat.
>>
>> Where did you get your medical degree?
>
> I have a husband who has been taking coumadin for 7 years. His
> cardiologist has told him that he doesn't have to avoid foods. He gets
> his pro-time or INR checked every 3 to 4 weeks and the physician adjusts
> his dosage.
>
> I don't have a medical degree, but my husband's physician has one. I'd
> rather listen to a licensed cardiologist than you. YMMV

my dad began taking coumadin a year or so ago. from what i could glean
from web research, this is correct, assuming you have someone closely
monitoring the blood tests. but i would also guess there are many lazy
physicians out there who find it easier to say 'don't eat spinach' or beans
or onions or any of the many other items on the 'foods to avoid' list.

to the original poster, steve b: there was a discussion here at that time,
i think with 'coumadin' in the subject line that you could search for.

here are some snippets from that thread, circa 12/07 (i hope those persons
quoted don't mind):

I have been taking the damned rat poison for about a year and
have achieved the desired level of stability. I have only been
warned to limit my intake (not give up) of green vegetables.

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

This article specifically mentions fried and boiled
onions are to be avoided:

<http://www.dietitian.com/vitamink.html>

This article has a table which lists white and yellow
onions as low in K, but green onions as high in K.

<http://www.drgourmet.com/warfarin/vegetables.shtml>

(mark thorson)

Hmmm.. believe it not I've never heard of the "No Onions" warning. I
used to council patients all the time about the Vit K aspect. In fact,
Vit K isn't as much a problem as long as the intake is *consistent*
rather than 3 pounds of greens eaten one day and none the next and so
on... A stable intake is tolerable as the monitoring labs will remain
stable and the dose not altered based on faulty lab results.
I'll have to look into this "no onions" idea.....

(goomba)

Onions are listed under foods that are low in vitamin K.
http://www.heartpoint.com/coumadin.html

My f-i-l has been taking coumadin for 15 years now. He has his blood
tested
constantly. Everytime he sees a dentist even, he has his blood tested. He
has never been warned about eating onions. He has loads of doctors (top
notch mostly) and has been under dietary care for years now.

BTW, he loves onions.
Dee Dee


your pal,
blake