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Eating Foods That Prevent Cold Sores

Cold sores can be prevented provided the right food intake is given priority to. Foods that prevent cold sores are mostly rated on the basis of how high their lysine contents are and how low their arginine contents are. Before you go off wondering what lysine and arginine are, both of them are two common amino acids found widely in food. There are various type of amino acids available out there, but these two are found to be the ones that have a special effect on cold sore outbreaks right from the very root of the infection.

Normally, the herpes virus that causes cold sores is latent. When the virus finds a condition where it feels suitable to move, it will move to the surface to clone itself. The sly, sub-microscopic virus will enter a nerve cell of its choice (on a person’s lip or nose). It then forcefully takes control of the cell and forces it to create copies of the original virus. This is made possible by one ingredient in the form of amino acid that is crucial for creating the new virus - arginine. Arginine, like many other amino acids, are normally stored in receptors.

Like it or not, both lysine and arginine actually compete against each other to occupy the same space in a cell. You cannot have only lysine or only arginine in your cell to maintain good health all the time. You should have a healthy portion of both amino acids to enable your body to function at its best. Scientists discovered the higher lysine to arginine content, the less likely it is for the cell to fall prey to the herpes virus that causes cold sores. Cells with higher lyisine content cannot be used as virus factories, thus preventing the cold sores virus from attacking them.

Therefore, it is very crucial for you to increase your lysine intake in order for you to prevent cold sores from infecting your body. Most foods that we consume on daily basis contain both lysine and arginine, especially meats (all types of meat). Foods that you should choose in order to prevent cold sores should contain considerably higher amounts of lysine compared to arginine. In short, you have to know the ratio between lysine and arginine in foods that you consume. Equal content would give a ration of 1 to 1 (1:1). If there is twice as much lysine to arginine, then the ratio would be 2 to 1 (2:1).

A suggestion of high lysine ratio foods that help prevent cold sores:

• Beef
• Fish, especially flounder
• Chicken
• Cheese
• Milk
• Yogurt
• Eggs
• Apples
• Pears
• Mangos
• Apricots
• Summer Squash 

On the other hand, this is a suggestion of foods with higher arginine content that could contribute to cold sores:

• Chocolate (ouch)
• Nuts
• Seeds
• shell type seafood such as oysters and crab
• Grains such as wheat and oats
• Fruits such as grapes, oranges, tangerines
• Most vegetables are at best borderline but rutabagas, winter squash and pumpkins, broccoli, carrots and corn should especially be avoided