Cold sores are painful and annoying bumps that pop up around the mouth. The herpes simplex viruses causes them, and some antiviral medications provide effective treatment. However, certain foods can aggravate cold sores and interfere with the healing process. Here are some of the foods to avoid:
Wheat bread:
Wheat bread contains lots of arginine, an amino acid that can trigger a herpes virus outbreak. Though wheat bread is healthy for most people because of its vitamins and fiber, sufferers of cold sores may want to avoid it if they feel an outbreak approaching.
Nuts, especially almonds:
Nuts also have a lot of arginine in relation to lysine. Lysine is also a hormone that counters the herpes simplex virus. In particular, almonds can worsen a herpes outbreak around the mouth.
Grape Juice:
Not only is grape juice full of arginine; it also packed full of sugars, which are known to contribute to cold sores. Vegetable juices, water and teas are better if you have lots of cold sores.
Peanut Butter:
Peanuts have a lysine to arginine ration of about 0.2, which makes them triggers new cold sores and worsen old ones. It does not matter whether the peanut butter is organic or processed.
Do you get cold sores? Consider joining one of Segal Institute’s clinical research trials on cold sores.
Source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/139239-foods-that-trigger-cold-sores/
