It seems my run of bad luck in the health department is ongoing, I now have a bottom lip full of cold sores! Yep it hurts to talk, eat and drink and I'm really starting to feel very sorry for myself now!
I've been googling what foods I should be eating to combat cold sores and it appears that foods high in arginine should be a no no and foods high in lysine are recommended. So what foods contain these two amino acids:
Arginine
- Chocolate
- Nuts including peanut butter
- Oats including porridge
- Seeds
- Grains
Lysine
- Milk
- Yoghurt
- Cheese
- Eggs
- Brewers yeast
- Sardines
- Cod
- Chicken
- Beef lamb
As you can see from the two lists above, my first research into what foods to eat wasn't looking too promising as none of them were vegan! Even worse the foods I should be avoiding were regulars in my diet. But I carried on with my research and I did find that most vegetables are also high in Lysine, especially:
Vegan Lysine
- Apple
- Apricot
- Avocado
- Beetroot
- Fig
- Mango
- Papaya
- Pear
- Tomato
My research also informed me that I should also be nourishing my skin with essential nutrients to help ward off the cold sores. It is recommended that you ensure you are getting plenty of zinc, vitamin C and bioflavonoids. These will help you protect, nourish and strengthen your skin.
Apparently zinc is not found in large amounts in plant foods, but the best, common plant sources of zinc are legumes, nuts, seeds, and oatmeal. Which if I believe the research I've undertaken so far are mainly foods to avoid because they also contain arginine. However, legumes aren't listed as an arginine food so I figured they need to make a larger appearance in my diet.
Bioflavonoids, are also sometimes referred to as “Vitamin P,” and they are super-antioxidants found in many natural foods. Apparently bioflavonoids are found in many of the same foods that contain vitamin C, which is good news for me.
Apparently zinc is not found in large amounts in plant foods, but the best, common plant sources of zinc are legumes, nuts, seeds, and oatmeal. Which if I believe the research I've undertaken so far are mainly foods to avoid because they also contain arginine. However, legumes aren't listed as an arginine food so I figured they need to make a larger appearance in my diet.
Bioflavonoids, are also sometimes referred to as “Vitamin P,” and they are super-antioxidants found in many natural foods. Apparently bioflavonoids are found in many of the same foods that contain vitamin C, which is good news for me.
Zinc foods not containing arginine
- Tofu
- Chick peas
- Pinto & kidney beans
- Lentils
- Corn, peas and broccoli
Vitamin C
- Fresh fruit, especially, oranges, kiwis, papaya, strawberries
- Leafy vegetables; kale, spinach, mustard greens, garden cress, lettuce, bok choy
- Bell peppers and red & green chilli peppers
- Thyme and Parsely
- Broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts
Bioflavonoids
- Bell peppers
- Citrus fruits, oranges, lemon and lime
- Tropical Fruits or Exotic fruits, like mangoes and papayas
- Strawberries, peaches and nectarines
- Broccoli, spinach and brussel sprouts
- Garlic
- Black and Green Tea
So I now knew what foods I should be eating and what I should be avoiding, the dilemma was to cook something up with food I had at home as the last thing I felt like doing was going shopping! To top things off, hubby is in bed with a chest infection and cold, so he didn't feel like shopping either. Because its easy to drink through a straw at the moment I decided the first thing I would do is whip up a cold sore beating smoothie.
Ingredients
100ml Beetroot juice, I used 'beet it'
Handfull of Spinach
85g Tofu (drained weight)
1 Apple, peeled
5 Strawberries, hulled
100ml Cold water
Method
Add all ingredients to the blender in the order above and blend until smooth. Easy!
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