lysine and herpes

Tag: lysine and herpes

Herpes Diet: Managing Herpes Symptoms With Fall Veggies

Herpes SymptomsHerpes Diet: Managing Herpes Symptoms With Fall Veggies
By Contributing Author Stephanie

As those of us who have read Dr. Kelly’s Book Live, Love & Thrive with Herpes know, diet can have a huge affect on how our bodies experience the herpes virus.  Whether it’s the balance between lysine and arginine in our bodies, or simply eating well to support our immunity, it is important to actively support our bodies through our diet. This is a key to managing our herpes symptoms.  In this blog, I will go over some of the fall vegetables you can eat to support your body in suppressing future herpes outbreaks.  I strongly suggest referring back to Dr. Kelly’s previous blog on lysine and arginine for reference, as it explains how and why lysine is helpful in preventing outbreaks and arginine can be a trigger for outbreaks.

Root vegetables and squash are common fall vegetables that are delicious and nutritious for our bodies! Most vegetables have fairly high amounts of lysine.  Did you know that wheat and other grains contain high levels of arginine? This is why it is not uncommon for people diagnosed with herpes to go gluten free. If we can replace our grains  (which contain high levels of arginine) with vegetables high in complex carbs, our bodies will likely thank us. Of course this is a personal choice, but if you suffer from constant outbreaks, you can always test out this method to see if it helps you!

Some fall vegetables I love that are either higher in lysine than arginine or about equal in amounts of the two according to the sources I have researched are: beets, turnips, select squashes, and potatoes (white and sweet).

A great way to get the most out of these delicious fall foods is to pair them with foods we know are very high in lysine. One amazing recipe that comes to mind is roasted beets with goat cheese.  If you have never tried roasted red beets with goat cheese, I suggest you do so soon. If your recipe calls for nuts, you should omit them, since nuts are another known herpes trigger.

Another great and super easy recipe is roasted acorn squash filled with yogurt. Yogurts containing probiotics in the form of live cultures can also help boost our immunity to better manage herpes symptoms (assuming you are not dairy free).  If this is the case, there are dairy free yogurts made with coconut milk. High levels of probiotics and lysine in this meal, or dessert, make it an excellent and healthy choice for the season.  Since sugar affects the body in a way that prevents us from fighting off viruses, it is important to minimize our intake of sugar to prevent future outbreaks.  This is one of many delicious squash recipes that can easily double as a sweet dessert.

One last recipe that incorporates fall veggies with other foods containing high amounts of lysine is this Italian fagioli soup recipe.  This recipe is great for those cold and busy months and is packed with root veggies and squash.  The ground turkey is a great addition, as turkey is one meat in particular that is very high amounts in lysine.  You will even get some lysine from the parmesan cheese on top! I urge you all to take a look at some of the different recipes you can try to incorporate some of the seasonal vegetables into your diet throughout these colder months.

Keeping veggies in our diet consistently is so important for our health, regardless of living with herpes or not; but of course if we can decrease our herpes symptoms at the same time, why wouldn’t we do it?

book_LiveLove300Make sure to check out Dr. Kelly’s book to learn more about how diet and supplements can support your body as you learn to navigate your herpes symptoms!  

Lysine: Herpes, Chocolate, and Valentine’s Day

 

Lysine: Herpes, Chocolate, and Valentine’s Day

file000163648711Valentine’s Day is here and so is our desire to eat massive amounts of chocolate. Allow me to confess…. I LOVE CHOCOLATE… In fact, my favorite dessert in the whole wide world is a Flour less Chocolate Torte- (Martha Stewart’s recipe to be exact). But…I don’t like to get herpes outbreaks.

When I work with women with herpes one-on-one and in groups, they are often surprised to hear that I am able to eat chocolate, despite the fact that it is a known trigger for herpes outbreaks. Their surprise reminds me of how I felt when I discovered that one of my favorite “gurus”, Cealo, is still known to smoke a cigar from time to time. So…how I am able to eat chocolate and not get herpes outbreaks? (Before I disclose my one word secret in person, women’s eyes widen and they lean in)

LYSINE

When I consume large amounts of chocolate, nuts, nut butters or coffee, I take lysine. You see, the problem with the above foods is that they are high in arginine, a known trigger for herpes outbreaks. Lysine, on the other hand, is proven to counteract high levels of arginine. In fact, lysine has been shown to decrease the frequency and severity of herpes outbreaks.

In the past, if I was stressed out or if I consumed large amounts of these dietary triggers, I would get a genital outbreak within days. Now, I can use lysine as part of my defense and STILL eat my chocolate torte. Hallelujah! I often use lysine proactively when I’ve consumed too much arginine in my diet and use a dosage that would be therapeutic for an active herpes infection. Typically this would be about 3000mg per day for a few days. During an active herpes outbreak, it is therapeutic to take anywhere between 3000mg-9000mg/day for several days. Some people with herpes take lysine supplements daily, while others use them only at the onset of an outbreak.

Whether you are with a partner or not this Valentine’s Day, I wanted to let you in on my little secret. Life it too short to NOT eat chocolate.

Want to learn more about my natural remedies for herpes? Check out my newest online course for women with herpes. foundations-sidebar300x250

LIVE MORE and LOVE MORE!

Live. Love. Thrive.

Dr. Kelly- Amazon Bestselling Author of Live, Love, and Thrive with Herpes: A Holistic Guide For Women P.S. Want more support? Join our FREE herpes forum for Women Supporting Women With Herpes  

What Foods Trigger a Herpes Outbreak?

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. Lysine is an antiviral that helps you heal naturally. 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. The higher the ratio of lysine/ arginine, the greater its impact on keeping herpes dormant.
Should I Supplement Daily With Lysine?
Although many people use lysine supplements, I do NOT recommend them as a daily protocol for months at a time. Too much supplemental lysine will impair your immunity as much as too little lysine. I recommend using lysine at the onset of any symptoms of a herpes outbreak. This could be itching, redness, tingling etc. At the first onset of symptoms, I use 500mg-1000mg of Lysine every few hours until symptoms subside Daily lysine supplementation also poses the risk of heavy metal toxicity. Food consumption is much more natural and totally safe. It has been shown that the effects of lysine supplementation is no better than the use of garlic, a much safer alternative.
What should you do if you have frequent herpes outbreaks?
Keep it simple. Increase foods high in lysine and decrease foods high in arginine when symptoms are not present.

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 body building 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.