Foods to avoid with cold sores are key foods that contain high levels of the amino acid arginine and low amounts of lysine.

You have probably heard of arginine and lysine. These are two amino acids that are present in most foods. Arginine and lysine have a great impact on the duration and frequency of cold sores.

This is how they work.

The herpes simplex virus is the main cause of all cold 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. New viruses cannot be created using lysine.

If you have a diet rich in lysine, your cells will break down 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 content of lysine than arginine, 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

—- Seafood including clams and oysters

—- Grains like wheat and oats

—- Fruits such as grapes, oranges, tangerines

—- Most vegetables are neutral, but avoid rutabagas, winter squash and squash, broccoli, carrots, and corn.

Sometimes certain foods are difficult 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 shouldn’t avoid these foods for too long. Do not use the avoidance of these foods as a method of preventing 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 a cold sore episode. This often stops a cold sore quickly. This is also a very good way to prevent future cold sores.

Here 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 flounder), chicken, cheese, eggs, yogurt, apples, pears, mangoes, apricots, and summer squash. Your goal should be a diet that provides about 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 are not tolerated by some people. 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 to 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 about 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 taking lysine capsules. By doing this, you cancel the bad effects of food to prevent cold sores.