Foods To Avoid With Cold Sores Infection
Colds sores are the result of a herpes simplex virus infection. The virus manifests itself with several patches of tiny red blisters and commonly occurs in the mouth, lips and nose areas. Although, most common in the mouth area (thus being called oral herpes) there may be outbreaks in several different parts of the body. Oral herpes can be painful and inconvenient for many people. There are some foods to avoid with cold sores active infection for the reason that these can aggravate or sting the blisters.
List Of Foods To Avoid With Cold Sores
Common sense will actually guide you regarding the foods to avoid with a cold sores infection. Salty foods are foremost in the list of foods to avoid with a cold sores outbreak because pure salt can be very painful and irritating for open wounds and sores. Although some people recommend a saltwater dip during a colds sores outbreak, pure salt can be extremely painful when applied to the sores.
Citrusy fruits are also among the foods to avoid with cold sores infection. The acidic nature of all citrusy fruits can sting if applied on the blisters which are the results of the herpes simplex virus. To avoid unnecessary pain and discomfort, eliminate citrus fruits from your diet if you have a cold sores infection or recurrence. If you can stand the pain, then do not let it bother you.
There are some studies that have shown that other foods to avoid with a cold sores infection are those with high levels of the amino acid arginine. This is supposedly something that can aggravate the blisters and increase their numbers. Foods that contain arginine are chocolates, gelatin, seeds, nuts, coconuts, oatmeal, eggplants, mushrooms, tomatoes, beer, sugar cola and many others. These are just a few of the foods to avoid with cold sores problems. Arginine is said to be an amino acid from which the herpes simplex virus positively thrives on.
Some researchers have also come up with the idea that arginine does not necessarily need to be eliminated from your diet when you are experiencing a cold sores outbreak. Instead, balance these foods with an input of lysine, which can reduce the appearance of the small red blisters. Considering that there is already a list of foods to avoid with a cold sores infection, you might be better off minimizing your intake of these foods to see if this works for you.
