Hi everyone this is Monica Reinagel and you're listening to the nutrition

divas quick and dirty tips for eating well and feeling fabulous.

Listener Janet writes,

I was doing some internet research on foods that promote bone growth

and I came across a food called Natto,

which is supposed to be a good source of Vitamin K2.

My doctor had never heard of Natto or Vitamin K2.

Is Natto really a superfood for bone health?

And if so, what's the best way to serve it.

And now back to today's show on Vitamin K and NATO.

Although Vitamin K was identified in the 1920s, right around the same time as

vitamins C and E were discovered, it doesn't have anywhere near the name recognition as other

nutrients.

It was first identified by German researchers who discovered that it was essential for proper

blood clotting.

The K in fact stands for coagilacion, which is the German word for coagulation.

And without this nutrient in your system, you might bleed to death.

Later on, it was discovered that vitamin K also plays an important role in bone formation

and that's something I talked about in episode number 25 diet for healthy bones.

It's also involved in heart health. Now Vitamin K is actually a family of

closely related compounds. Vitamin K1, also known as philoquinone, is the form

that's found in vegetables, in particular leafy greens like kale,

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