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Vitamin K for Bones and Blood:Your body uses vitamin K to form proteins that are best known for making blood clot. However, these vitamin K-dependent proteins fill other essential roles. They help maintain bone density by regulating the movement of calcium into your bones. Other proteins made from vitamin K inhibit the build-up of minerals in your blood vessels, which may help prevent hardening of the arteries, according to a review published in the January 2013 issue of "Trends in Molecular Science." You'll get 40 micrograms of vitamin K from eating 1 cup of shredded red leaf lettuce. This amount provides 44 percent of women's and 33 percent of men's recommended daily intake.