Foods to avoid with cold sores are those that are particularly high in arginine and have low levels of lysine. In this article you will learn about the key foods that have the biggest effect on your cold sores.
Lysine and arginine are two common amino acids found in foods. They are the two most widely researched nutrients that affect cold sores.
Here is how they work.
The herpes simplex virus is the root cause of all cold sores. A virus particle will enter a nerve cell at the surface and force it to create new virus. It will then explode the cell to release the cloned virus thus creating a huge open wound.
Arginine is a protein fraction that is essential in the production of new herpes virus. Your nerve cells have a storage area within the cell specifically for arginine.
Lysine and arginine compete for the same storage space. The cell cannot create new virus using lysine.
The more lysine in your diet the less arginine will be available in your cells to create new virus. The "parent" virus will sense this immediately and avoid those cells with low arginine content.
Whenever your cells have a higher lysine than arginine content, it discourages creation of new virus. This often sends the herpes virus back into a latent state. You will not get a cold sore if the cells cannot create virus.
Foods to avoid with cold sores. These are foods with higher levels of arginine.
---- Chocolate (ouch)
---- Nuts
---- Most seeds such as sunflower, pumpkin and sesame
---- Any seafood that has a shell such as shrimp and oysters
---- Most cereal grains including wheat
---- Many fruits and berries including grapes, grapefruit and oranges
---- Many vegetables are ok, however onions, peas, brussel sprouts, and squash are high in arginine.
Sometimes certain foods are difficult to avoid or should not be avoided. Many of the foods to avoid with cold sores are highly nutritional and essential for your good health. These foods could be removed from your diet for a week or so - during the actual cold sore event - without harm.
But, for your best health, do not avoid these foods for more than a couple weeks. It is not a wise cold sore prevention program. It is only to help with a current outbreak. These highly nutritional foods are important for a strong immune system. One that helps protect you from the cold sore virus.
An excellent alternative solution to avoiding foods you love is to increase your lysine during your cold sore event. Increasing intake of lysine will also help prevent future cold sores.
Here are some high lysine foods that are good any time you have a cold sore. They are especially good for balancing out some of the foods to avoid with cold sores.
Fish (flounder is super-rich in lysine), chicken, beef, eggs, apples, papaya, beets, and all dairy products. Cheeses and yogurt are very rich in lysine. These will provide a preferred lysine to arginine ratio of 2 to 1.
Yes, I realize following a restricted diet is difficult for most people. Also, dairy products may be rich in lysine but cannot be tolerated by some folks. Fact is, I have not followed these avoidance guidelines very good myself.
For a large number of people, an easy and powerful alternative to this restricted diet is to take lysine as a supplement. Lysine is available anywhere you find vitamins. It is normally found in 500 mg. capsules. Taking four to eight capsules daily during a cold sore and one to two capsules daily between cold sores is common.
Is it safe to take lysine in these large doses?
Lysine is a common protein in most foods and is perfectly safe. A six-ounce serving of flounder, mentioned previously, will give you about 5000 mg. (5 grams) of body-ready lysine. The capsule form of lysine is not as absorbable but is much easier for many people.
Do not give up the foods you love - especially chocolate. Eat additional high lysine food or take lysine capsules. This will cancel out the bad effects of the foods to avoid with cold sores.
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