Diet & Triggers
What Foods Trigger Herpes Outbreaks?
One of the most universal recommendations specific to the management of herpes is to be mindful of the two amino acids arginine and lysine in your diet. Herpes outbreaks and many other chronic viruses are triggered by high amounts of arginine.
Arginine feeds herpes and encourages its growth and reproduction.
Lysine, on the other hand, boosts immunity and offers up protection from future outbreaks.
To sum it up….
Lysine is your FRIEND
Arginine is your ENEMY
Ideally, you want to decrease the foods that are high in arginine and increase the foods that are high in lysine.
A great tool for determining the lysine and arginine content of food is to use the lysine/arginine ratio. Foods that are high on the lysine/arginine ratio are more beneficial for a person who suffers from herpes.
What foods are high in Lysine?
- Most Vegetables and fruits
- Dairy-based products including cheese, milk, and yogurt
- Fish, Chicken, Lamb, and Beef
- Brewer’s Yeast
- Eggs
- Avocado
- Sprouts
- Quinoa
- Amaranth
What foods are high in Arginine?
- All nuts and nut products
- Nut butters (peanut butter, almond butter etc.)
- Caffeine
- Chocolate
- Seeds (except hemp and flax)
- Oatmeal
- Brown Rice
- Raisins
- Whole Wheat and White flour
- Carob
- Lentils
- Wheat germ
- Dried beans including soybeans and tofu
- Protein shakes, multivitamins and bodybuilding supplements that contain arginine
The above food recommendations are meant to point you in the right direction towards managing your outbreaks and living a vibrant, healthy life. As discussed, there are many known triggers when it comes to herpes and certain foods.
Each person with herpes is unique in their body and what things trigger a herpes outbreak. For those who are sensitive to foods, I highly recommend a Paleo style diet.
Environmental Herpes Triggers
Herpes prefers to live in warm, moist environments with lots of friction. As such, here are a few quick tips to decrease your potential triggers
- Avoid hot environments like hot tubs and saunas
- Use padding in bike shorts to decrease friction when biking
- Avoid thongs, as they can be irritating. Opt for organic cotton panties
- Do not stay in wet clothing too long after working out.
If you want to learn more about what might be triggering your outbreaks, check out my Amazon Bestselling book Live, Love and Thrive with Herpes: A Holistic Guide For Women.
