Cold sores are infections that result from contracting herpes simplex type 1 virus. A cold sore appears around the lips and should not be confused with mouth ulcers, which are found inside the mouth. Occasionally, cold sores can develop on your fingers or chin. A dietary approach to treating or preventing cold sores focuses mainly on two amino acids and the way they react to the herpes virus. The general advice is to avoid foods with more arginine than lysine.
Arginine
Arginine is one of the two amino acids that are most essential when considering foods to avoid when you have a cold sore. The herpes virus that leads to the infection that causes cold sores can thrive when your intake of arginine is increased. Decreasing the foods that contain arginine is an effective way to keep cold sores from hanging on longer than they need.
Nuts
Those experiencing chronic outbreaks of cold sores or cold sores that take a long time to heal should remove or reduce the presence of nuts in their diet. Raw nuts are especially important to avoid, but so are products whose primary ingredient is nuts such as peanut butter.
Movie Theater Snacks
Cold sore victims are especially at risk when they attend movies. A number of popular food products that are mainstays at the cinema's concession stand have more arginine than lysine. These include traditional choices like popcorn and both the chocolate and the raisins in chocolate-covered raisins. Even products made with a common chocolate substitute, carob, should be avoided.
Seeds
Edible seeds should be avoided by cold sore sufferers. Packages of loose sunflower seeds and similar products are ill advised in a patient's diet. These arginine-rich food products don't need to be massively consumed in order to prolong a cold sore outbreak. Stay away from sesame seeds on items like hamburger buns, and pretzels.
Lysine
Foods containing lysine are the first line of defense when you are looking to replace foods lost from your diet as a result of cutting back on arginine. The University of Maryland Medical Center reports that a number of studies have indicated a potential for increased lysine to assist in preventing outbreaks of the virus that causes cold sores. The same source warns that positive results have not been produced in other studies of lysine's effect on cold sores.
Foods to Help With Cold Sores
Avoiding foods that are higher in arginine than lysine can be difficult for some if they constitute a significant part of your regular diet. Foods higher in lysine are more nutritionally substantial the snack foods that are higher in arginine. Natural food sources for lysine include dairy products like milk, eggs and cheese. Wholehealthmd.com recommends these other food sources high in lysine: red meat, potatoes, lima beans and soy products.
