Page 2 of comments on Foods To Avoid With Cold Sores (Oral Herpes)
by Denny Bodoh
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First you say "These are a few of the foods to avoid with cold sores. Arginine levels are higher than lysine levels in these selections. ---- Anything that contains chocolate",then you say"Do not give up the foods you love - especially chocolate"- so which is it?The rest of the paragraph explains it Tom. You can cancel out the bad effects of high arginine foods (such as chocolate) by increasing your lysine intake. Most people use lysine capsules for this.Denny
I enjoyed reading your article. You say that in a eight-ounce serving of flounder there are 7 grams of lysine. Would you be able to tell us how much arginine there is in 1 ounce of dark chocolate? Thank you. - Lucy.Hi Lucy from PortlandThere is such a wide variance of protein content of different chocolate - it ranges from 3% to 22%. On average, however, you can expect to find 100 grams of dark (70%) chocolate to contain about 3 to 4 grams of arginine. That would break down to roughly 700 milligrams per ounce of heavy dark chocolate.I believe Flounder - ounce for ounce - will easily balance chocolate consumption. I personally love chocolate and eat a lot of it. It is extremely good for your health - especially heart, circulation and blood pressure.Great to hear from you Lucy. Thank You.Denny BodohThank you very much for your reply.Your advise on taking extra lysine while experiencing a cold sore has been very helpful.It is also good to know that I don't have to give up chocolate forever. Furthermore, it will be easy to add flounder to my diet since I regularly eat seafood. I appreciate your work. Lucy
Hi Lucy. Thank you so much for your kind words. Flounder is excellent - fact is I just had some flounder last night myself. One other important thing to watch for is your pH balance. Your body is healthiest when you are slightly alkaline - about 7.4 on the pH scale. Calcium is the main mineral your body uses to stay alkaline. It would be wise to take a good vitamin supplement that provides 1000 mg. of calcium per day.Nice talking to you. Take care LucyDenny Bodoh
I'm trying to find out if white chocolate, which isn't of course chocolate at all, contains arginine. I've had to give up chocolate completely except for an occasional chocolate biscuit or two squares of milk chocolate. I'd love to be able to eat white chocolate as a substitute.Hi AnonWhite chocolate is made of cocoa butter, milk solids, and sugar so it does contain cocoa. The dark solids are processed out to give you an ivory colored product. So, if you have a problem with brown chocolate, you will with white chocolate also.I love chocolate too. I have gotten in the habit of taking extra lysine supplements with my daily vitamins to counteract the effects of my occasional chocolate binge.If I were you, I would take lysine supplements too. They are cheap and well worth the investment.Thank you so much for commenting. Great to hear from you.DennyThanks, that's disappointing but does explain my next-to-last outbreak. I have started taking the lysine supplements, so maybe I can have an occasional treat after all. I spent hours online the other day to see if white chocolate was okay and if it weren't for you I still wouldn't know.By the way my name is Sue and I'm from Australia. Thanks for responding so quickly.Hi SueGreat to hear from you again and to know your name. Australia is one place I have always wanted to visit.I think you will find the lysine will help you a lot and give you more freedom in your diet. If you like fish, eat some Flounder too.Another thing you can check out is your pH balance. If your body has an acid pH (below 7 on the pH scale) you can see more virus activity like cold sores. Some things that cause our bodies to move into the acid range is cold weather (this is why we get more colds and flu in the winter), stress (mental or physical) and food items such as carbonated soda, white flour and processed sugar.Take care Sue and have a great week.DennyThanks for all your advice!Great to hear from you. Thank you - I am gladto hopefully helped you.Take careDenny Bodoh
Hi Denny, I am having a problem with trying to find an accurate source for determining which foods are high in lysine and low in arginine. I am finding the sources to be contradictory. Thank you!!Hi Anon
Great to hear from you. I know what you mean about finding accurate info. It is amazing what weird info you find about cold sores.
traditionaloven.com/tutorials/l-lysine_rich_foods.html
Here is a place that has a very good chart that I feel is quite accurate. Basically nuts, seeds and most grains are low or even in the lysine/arginine ratios. Meat, fish, dairy products, some vegetables and eggs are good sources of lysine. Check it out.
Thank you very much for writing.
Denny
I contracted the cold sore virus from my 18-month old baby (only God knows where she got it?!) back in 2005. It was terrible! I used to get cold sores about once/year. Now I am getting them every month. I had one so bad in July it left a scar on my lip and looks like I have one permanently now. I am vegetarian and have been since 1998. However, I am deeply considering adding flounder after reading this article. I take lysine, but I haven't had much success with it. I am not very regular, will take 2000 mg one day, skip a day, then take 3000, skip two or three days then take 1000 mg, etc. etc. However, during outbreaks, I take it consistently and about 4-5000 mg/day. What I am wondering is if the l-lysine isn't working for me because I am so inconsistent before break-outs (which is just because I am forgetful and don't like taking supplements) or is it because I have such a deficiency being vegetarian and vegan for some time? I will definitely not be adding dairy products because they are so mucus forming for me. However, I am really considering adding flounder. I guess that what I am wanting to know, though, is if the l-lysine needs to be taken consistently; and perhaps I would have more success if I increased the dosage and took it consistently? I have read, however, that some people do not have success with l-lysine supplements. How long should I expect to take the supplements before I notice a difference? What daily dosage would you recommend for someone who suffers from an outbreak every month to every other month? Also, do you have to take the stuff on an "empty stomach" (I HATE that!)?
P.S. I don't like chocolate, so that's not what's holding me back, lol!Hi Trish
Great to hear from you, Trish! Sorry to hear of your repeated bouts with cold sores.
Babies often get cold sores from doting relatives or friends who may have a cold sore. People need to be more careful!! It is a lifetime virus.
Any treatment, including lysine, should be consistent for best results. For prevention, most users take 500 mg. per day - some take it twice a day. This is only a temporary fix, however. Eventually, your body will adjust and you will have to take more and more to accomplish the same thing. It is better NOT to take on an empty stomach - this is true with most any supplements. Supplements are not recognized as nutritional food by your body. Taken with food, your digestive system will attach some of the nutritional elements to real food and then your body will be able to utilize it. Anybody who takes most vitamin supplements with little or no food are just throwing their money away.
Three or four years ago, I decided to take up weight lifting again. As many weightlifters do, I started taking supplemental Arginine - it really helps. But, because of the high amount of arginine, I got a cold sore immediately. I took piles of Lysine to counteract the Arginine, but the cold sore would not go away. It was low grade and never broke thru, but it stayed in the painful bump mode. I was curious, so I kept it up with the Arginine too. That sore lasted 3 full months, no matter how much lysine I took each day. I quit the lysine and arginine one day at the end of summer, and the sore was gone the next day. It was a good experiment.
Keep in mind, Trish - it is not the presence of Lysine but the lack of Arginine that stops and prevents cold sores. You are not getting repeated cold sores from lack of Lysine. I would suggest that you are getting too much Arginine in your diet. As a vegetarian, you are likely depending on soy (and other nuts and beans) for a large part of your protein. Unfortunately, these contain high levels of Arginine. Soy for example - for every 100 grams you get about 5 grams of Arginine (which is a protein of course). Most other beans and seeds are about the same. The protein isolates from soy is even higher in Arginine - about 7 grams of Arginine to 100 grams of product. Also, grains like oats and wheat are very high in Arginine. You are experiencing exactly what I did that summer - way too much Arginine. You probably will not be able to take enough Lysine to overcome this.
That is why I state that vegetarians who are susceptible to cold sores will have a tough time being a vegetarian.
One other thing that you should know. These same grains, nuts and seeds will also cause acidifying of your body. Your body is healthiest when it is about 7.4 on the pH scale (which is slightly alkaline). The lower toward the acid side your body becomes, the more open you are to virus attack - mainly because it reduces your tissue oxygen saturation. Just dropping from 7.4 to 7.1 can lower the oxygen in those tissues by 25%. Oxygen is essential for your immune system. The best thing for alkalizing the body is vegetables - especially dark green leaf, cabbage, broccoli and asparagus. Grains, nuts and seeds fight this.
At any rate, Trish, I would look more into your pH levels. There are more and more doctors who maintain maintaining optimum pH balances can prevent nearly any disease. Maybe.
Take care Trish - hope I have been of some help. Thanks for stopping by.
Denny
You mention flounder but when I checked out the list, salmon had a higher amount per the same oz. of flounder. Why did not not mention salmon? thanks.Hi Anna
Sorry I am late getting back to you. This site is supposed to notify me when there is a comment but it does not do so very well.
All fish is excellent, provided it is wild caught. Farmed fish is missing a lot of nutritional value. Yes salmon is great but is often farm raised now. Actually, shark and halibut are even higher.
Thank you, Anna, for your comments and for the stars.
Denny
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