HM Medical Clinic

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The Medifast Program and
What you and your doctor should know
about the Medifast Program and

Director of Nutrition 2 Medifast Meals _ 4 Vegetables for the Lean & Green Meal _ 5

From Medifast's Director of Nutrition
Achieving optimal health and weight control is not always a "one-size-fits-all" equation. Lifestyle choices and medical conditions can affect both your food preferences and requirements, which in turn have an impact on how you can best lose weight.
Medifast began with physicians and other health care professionals developing a safe, effective weight-loss method with lasting results. Decades later, the program and products continue to evolve. We thank you for choosing Medifast and encourage you to review the following recommendations with your doctor before you begin.

What are anticoagulant medications?
Anticoagulant ("anti-clotting") medications are used to prevent blood clots or to stop an existing clot from getting larger. These drugs, sometimes referred to as "blood thinners," include warfarin (Coumadin®), dalteparin (Fragmin®), danaparoid (Orgaran®), enoxaparin (Lovenox®), Heparin® (Hep-Lock, Hep-Pak, Hep-Pak CVC, Heparin Lock Flush), and tinzaparin (Innohep®).
Anticoagulant medications are used for several different conditions but most commonly to prevent blood clots from forming after a surgical procedure and to reduce the risk of stroke or heart attack.
Why are anticoagulant medications a concern with the Medifast Program?
People who take anticoagulant medications need to be aware of their intake of foods that are high in vitamin K. Vitamin K, a fat-soluble vitamin, plays an important role in helping blood to clot. Anticoagulant medications work to decrease the activity of vitamin K in the body, and a consistent vitamin K intake is needed to help anticoagulant medications work as effectively as possible. The Medifast 5 & 1 Plan provides a consistent intake of vitamin K and works well for people who are taking blood thinners.
What's the vitamin K content of the Medifast 5 & 1 Plan?
The daily value for vitamin K is 80 mcg (micrograms); each Medifast Meal provides a range of 20 to 35% of the daily value (16-28 mcg per serving) for vitamin K, which means that when following the Medifast 5 & 1 Plan (where five Medifast Meals are consumed), the total average is approximately 80 to 100 mcg per day of vitamin K. The Lean & Green Meal can also contribute to the total amount of vitamin K consumed in a day. Careful choices from the recommended vegetable list for the Medifast 5 & 1 Plan can help keep this additional vitamin K to a minimum (see chart on page 5). Your total daily intake of vitamin K is important for your doctor to know so that he/she can closely monitor your International Normalized Ratio (INR) and Prothrombin Time (PT) laboratory tests and adjust your medication as needed.
Medifast Meals LOWEST in vitamin K content
Medifast
16 mcg each (20% of daily value)
20 mcg each (25% of daily value)
• Medifast 55 Shakes (Dutch Chocolate, Swiss Mocha) • Medifast 55 Shakes (French Vanilla, Strawberry Crème, • Appetite Suppression Shakes (all flavors) Orange Crème, Banana Crème) • Medifast Plus for Diabetics Shakes (Strawberry) • Medifast 70 Shakes (all flavors) • Medifast Plus for Joint Health Shakes (Vanilla) • Ready-to-Drink Shakes (all flavors) • Medifast Shakes featuring antioxidants (all flavors) • Medifast Plus for Diabetics Shakes (Vanilla, Chocolate) • Medifast Plus for Joint Health Shakes (Chocolate) • Momentum by Medifast Meals (all flavors) • Tropical Punch Fruit Drink • Cranberry Mango Fruit Drink Cold Drinks • Peach Iced Tea
• Raspberry Iced Tea • Hot Cocoa Hot Drinks
• Oatmeal (all flavors) • Cream of Broccoli Soup • Cream of Tomato Soup • Cream of Chicken Soup • Chicken Noodle Soup • Chicken & Wild Rice Soup • Homestyle Chili • Beef Vegetable Stew • Maryland Crab Flavored Soup • Chocolate, Banana • Crunch Bars (yellow wrapper) (all flavors) • Maintenance Bars (green wrapper—limit to one per day • Maintenance Bars (green wrapper—limit to one per day on the Medifast 5 & 1 Plan) (Oatmeal Raisin, Chocolate on the Medifast 5 & 1 Plan) (Caramel Nut) • Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks • Scrambled Eggs • Honey Mustard Pretzel Sticks • Parmesan Cheese Puffs • Chili Nacho Cheese Puffs Vegetables for the Lean & Green Meal
Lower Carb Higher Carb Mushrooms, white (1⁄2 cup) Mushroom, portabella Kohlrabi (1⁄2 cup) Radishes (1⁄2 cup) Fennel bulb (1⁄2 cup) Turnips (1⁄2 cup) Cucumber (1⁄2 cup) Eggplant (1⁄2 cup) Winter squash: spaghetti squash (1⁄2 cup) Sprouts: alfalfa (1⁄2 cup) scallop (1⁄2 cup) straightneck (1⁄2cup) Celery (1⁄2 cup) zucchini (1⁄2 cup) crookneck (1⁄2 cup) Iceberg lettuce (1 cup) Cauliflower (1⁄2 cup) Tomato, red ripe (1⁄2 cup) Sprouts: mung bean (1⁄2 cup) Asparagus (1⁄2 cup) Peppers: green, red, yellow (1⁄2 cup) Spring mix (1 cup) Cabbage (1⁄2 cup) Green or wax beans (1⁄2 cup) Romaine lettuce (1 cup) *Spinach, cooked (1⁄2 cup) Cabbage, red (1⁄2 cup) Butterhead lettuce (1 cup) *Kale, cooked (1⁄2 cup) Green leaf lettuce (1 cup) Scallions, raw (1⁄2 cup) Watercress (1 cup) Broccoli (1⁄2 cup) *Collard or mustard greens, cooked (1⁄2 cup) *Turnip greens, fresh/raw (1⁄2 cup) *Spinach, fresh/raw (1 cup) Vitamin K *Collard greens, fresh/raw (1 cup)Content *Mustard greens (1 cup) *Limit these vegetables to only one serving per day.
SAMPLE Meal Plan – Day ONE
1st Medifast Meal
Medifast French Vanilla Shake 2nd Medifast Meal
Medifast Cranberry Mango Fruit Drink 3rd Medifast Meal
Medifast Cream of Chicken Soup 4th Medifast Meal
Medifast Peanut Butter Crunch Bar 6 ounces broiled swordfish Lean & Green Meal
1 cup iceberg lettuce1⁄2 cup diced tomatoes and 1⁄2 cup diced cucumber 2 Tbsp low-carbohydrate salad dressing 5th Medifast Meal
Medifast Chocolate Pudding SAMPLE Meal Plan – Day TWO
1st Medifast Meal
Medifast Dark Chocolate Shake with antioxidants 2nd Medifast Meal
Medifast Lemon Meringue Crunch Bar Lean & Green Meal
5 ounces grilled pork chop 1-1⁄2 cups steamed asparagus 3rd Medifast Meal
Medifast Peach Iced Tea 4th Medifast Meal
Medifast Cream of Broccoli Soup 5th Medifast Meal
Medifast Hot Cocoa Vitamin K is an important vitamin for all people to include in a healthy diet; however, while taking anticoagulant medications it is crucial to get a consistent intake of vitamin K. If you are currently taking any anticoagulant medications, we highly recommend discussing the vitamin K content of Medifast Meals and products with your physician before starting the Medifast 5 & 1 Plan.
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For more information about this specialized program, call (800) 509-1281.
Medifast and Anticoagulant Medicine 2008: Medifast, Inc. Owings Mills, Maryland

Source: http://thinkathena.com/WeightLossPlan/Anticoagulant_guide.pdf