I don’t belieeeeeeeeve it???

Wow, my INR has gone up to 3.0, at last! My therapeutic range is between 2.5 and 3.5 so for the first time in so long it’s bang in the middle.  I know I feel so much better for it.  So how did that happen?

Well…

My fabulous colleague Laura, questioned that we were mapping my potassium intake and wondered whether it was actually protein which was causing the problem. Woah!  Light bulb moment! Warfarin is a protein based drug so it may have an effect. 

First thing to go was the banana in my porridge - I had one every day. Just as small a change as this has had an effect on my bloods.  Even though my warfarin dose has been increased another 1mg every two days, it hasn’t made the kind of dramatic difference coming off bananas has done.

Absolute genius.

This makes so much sense. I have been following a paleo style menu approach which has more fresh foods.  I have been careful of the amount of vegetables with high vitamin K levels that I have been eating but I never thought about the fact that I am eating much more protein,  particularly a lot more nuts, and of course the bananas.

Herein lies the problem. So many weight loss diets recommend eating all the things that are wrong for someone taking warfarin - especially green veg and more protein.  So we have been thinking.  Perhaps an easier way forward for me would be the intermittent fasting Diet (5:2).  That way I can ‘eat clean’ around my fast days and it will be easier to work out what I can eat two days a week rather than 7.  Also I can have variety in my other days as long as I am strict on the two days.

That’s it. Fast diet here we come!