Foods to avoid with cold sores are key foods that contain high levels of the amino acid arginine and low amounts of lysine.
You’ve probably heard of arginine and lysine. These are two amino acids that are present in most foods. Arginine and lysine have a big impact on the duration and frequency of cold sores.
This is how they work.
The herpes simplex virus is the main cause of all canker sores. A virus particle will enter a nerve cell on the surface and force it to create a new virus. It will then explode the cell to release the cloned virus, thus creating a huge gaping wound.
Arginine is a protein fraction that is essential in the production of new herpes viruses. Your nerve cells have a storage area within the cell specifically for arginine.
Your cells store lysine in the same area. No new viruses can be created using lysine.
If you have a diet rich in lysine, your cells will throw away some of the arginine to store more lysine. The herpes virus, seeking to clone itself, will avoid cells that cannot support the cloning process.
As long as your cells have a higher lysine than arginine content, it discourages the creation of new viruses. This often returns the herpes virus to a dormant state. You won’t get a cold sore if the cells can’t make viruses.
Here are some common foods to avoid with cold sores. These foods are known to contain high levels of arginine.
—- Chocolate (ouch)
—-Tree and bush nuts
—- Flax, sesame and most other seeds
—- Shellfish including clams and oysters
—- Grains such as wheat and oats
—- Fruits like grapes, oranges, tangerines
—- Most vegetables are neutral, but avoid rutabagas, squash and winter squash, broccoli, carrots, and corn.
Sometimes certain foods are hard to avoid or should not be avoided. Many of the foods to avoid with cold sores are highly nutritious. They are essential to your good health. These foods could be eliminated from your diet for a week or so, during the actual cold sore event, without harm.
However, for optimal health, you should not avoid these foods for long. Do not use avoidance of these foods as a method to prevent cold sores. Doing so could weaken your immune system. This could actually cause more cold sores, rather than fewer.
A better solution would be to increase your lysine intake during an episode of cold sores. This often stops a cold sore quickly. This is also a very good way to prevent future cold sores.
These are some foods that are high in lysine and low in arginine. These foods will help balance your intake of some of the foods to avoid.
Beef, fish (especially sole), chicken, cheese, eggs, yogurt, apples, pears, mangoes, apricots, and summer squash. Your goal should be a diet that provides approximately twice as much lysine as arginine.
Yes, I realize that following a restricted diet is difficult for most people. Dairy products can be high in lysine, but some people can’t tolerate them. The fact is that I myself have not followed these avoidance guidelines very well.
The best solution, for your comfort and good health, might be to take an additional lysine supplement. It usually comes in 500 mg. capsules and is available almost anywhere vitamins are sold. Many people take six to eight of these capsules a day during a cold sore event and one or two capsules a day to prevent cold sores.
Is it safe to take lysine in these large doses?
Yes, lysine is perfectly safe and is found in most foods. A six-ounce serving of flooder, mentioned above, will give you around 5,000 mg. of lysine prepared for the body. This is the same as 10 capsules. Capsules, while not as absorbable, are much easier for many people.
Do not give up the foods you like, especially chocolate. You can cure cold sores quickly by eating additional lysine-rich foods or by taking lysine capsules. By doing this, you cancel out the bad effects of food to prevent cold sores.