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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. Herpes simplex virus is pure protein and arginine is the main building block needed to create new herpes virus. Your cells have a specific storage area where it stores additional 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. With enough lysine in your diet, quite often the herpes virus cannot replicate and will go back into hibernation. This can stop a cold sore from developing any further. Here are some common foods to avoid with cold sores. These foods are known to contain high levels of arginine. ---- Any type of milk or dark chocolate ---- Tree and bush nuts ---- Flax, sesame and most other seeds ---- Any seafood that has a shell such as shrimp and oysters ---- Oats, barley, wheat and most other grains ---- Fruits such as grapes, oranges, tangerines ---- Many vegetables are ok, however onions, peas, brussel sprouts, and squash are high in arginine. Fact is - it can be hard to avoid certain foods. Some should not be avoided. You will notice many of the foods on the avoid list have a high nutritional value and are important for your optimal health. You probably would not hurt yourself by avoiding these foods for just a week or so. 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. A great way to reduce cold sores without the bother of a restricted diet is the use of a lysine supplement. Lysine usually comes in 500 mg. capsules and can be found anywhere. It is common to take 2000 mg. (4 caps) to 4000 mg. (8 caps) daily during the cold sore and two capsules daily as a maintenance dose to prevent cold sores. Is it safe to take lysine in these large doses? The short answer is YES. No negative side effects have ever been noted. Fact is, flounder mentioned above is so rich in lysine that an eight-ounce serving will provide 7000 mg. (7 grams) of lysine. Since food-source lysine is twice as absorbed as supplemental lysine, this is equivalent to about 24 capsules. Yes - you can have your chocolate and eat it too. Keep in mind that you just need to increase your lysine intake to heal or prevent cold sores and balance out those high arginine foods to avoid with cold sores.
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About the Article Author
Denny Bodoh understands cold sores. Before you spend another dime on your cold sores, grab Denny's awesome free information about cold sores and try some amazing cold sore cure options and remedies.
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