There is a good chance you are reading this blog because:
A: You’ve heard that a vegan diet has miraculous healing properties and will either cure or lessen the recurrence and severity of your cold sore outbreaks.
B: You’ve heard that a vegan diet is absolutely terrible for cold sore management and adopting one will result in you having your worst ever cold sore outbreak.
C: You’ve heard both A and B and are confused by these conflicting accounts.
If you fit into any of the three above-listed categories, fear not, we at Herstat, the makers of clinically proven effective cold sore treatment, hope to provide some clarity.
The good news
Well, the good news is that you are here asking the important questions. And we’ll begin by saying yes, your diet can play an important role in the management of cold sores as well as the health of your immune system.
Balance
What we will say is that although veganism is not necessarily worse for ongoing cold sore treatment, it may be if you embark upon the adoption of a plant-based diet without first considering which foods help to prevent cold sores and which do not.
Quite simply, if you consume too many vegan arginine-rich foods – i.e. nuts, legumes and seaweed – without counterbalancing this with a significant consumption of lysine-rich foods – i.e. soy products, spirulina, avocado and most fruits – you may well experience an increase in outbreaks.
But remember, certain meat-stuffs can be quite arginine-rich, so it is not that veganism is potentially bad for your cold sores. It is just that your approach to veganism may be if you do not first take steps to educate yourself.
Keep it personal
Remember, regardless of whether you have suddenly changed your diet, if you are experiencing recurrent cold sores or more severe outbreaks than you are accustomed to, it may be time to examine your diet and to consider its balance.
The key here is to get your consumption of arginine and lysine at the correct ratio so that you are not suffering unnecessary outbreaks. You can find more information on how to avoid an outbreak through dietary changes as well as other lifestyle choices here.
