I have genital herpes and shingles with PHN...I take Valtrx daily and l-lysine. I find that when I restrict my diet my symptoms are very mild and I hardly ever break out. But, I need to expand my diet from chicken, eggs, potatoes, and dairy products.I have had these conditions for over 10 years and just now realizing I have the PHN. I just thought I was getting old. But, now that I have restricted my diet my world has changed to pain free. But, I am starving for other foods and would like some help. Exactly which foods are high in lysine?
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5/31/09 1:04pm
Why don't you just take the supplement???
6/ 1/09 9:35pm
I'm sorry. I'm devastated-found out 2 mos. ago I was positive. I'm on-line constantly trying to find relief. All I can regards what I have found is to stay away from gelatin-that includes pill coated with such. Lots of them are. I wish you relief.
6/ 2/09 4:18pm
I am so sorry. I was devastated when I found out as well... It is so emotionally draining to wake up with it. Hang in there it does get better with time. The hardest thing at first is, if you are single; you have to to tell any person you want to become intimate with. That is difficult. This way thank goodness I have never given to anyone. But, what I have found out is most people really respect you more when you do! And, if they are quality people they even desire you more and are more than willing to be cautious. I have had it so long now that I hardly ever have a break out with HSV, it is the pain from shingles that is taking me down. I only have one little lesion but, the PHN (post hepetic neuralgia) is what is so bad that is the worst of all...
What I also found out was; it was my diet that was killing me. I was eating everything that was wrong for me. Protein Shakes, wheat bread, pasta's, brown rice... All that is bad for herpes and shingles! If you do eat foods that have a high content of arginine you must eat foods along with it that have a higher ratio of L-Lysine in them... STAY AWAY FROM DARK CHOCOLATE!!! and NUTS!!!! For me that is my worst triggers. Shellfish is bad as well... Only eat fish that is a whitefish. No shrimp, crab, lobster or crawfish! I love seafood and I was on over-kill.
There is a book called Lysine vs Arginine and it is a great reference. I just got it the day after I posted online. You can purchase it by e-mailing ally@allydee.com and requesting it... Do not let this get you down. There is life after herpes!
6/ 4/09 4:12pm
Thanx so much!!!
1/24/10 1:50pm
You can EAT ALL of the HIGH ARGININE foods you want too, as long as you EAT enough foods with HIGH LYSINE to over come the Arginine. The BEST food for (HIGH LYSINE) to Arginine is ****(PLAIN LOW FAT YOGURT)****. Make eating **(PLAIN LOW FAT YOGURT)** a regular DAILY part of your diet. And you can eat all of those other foods as long YOU eat ENOUGH ***(PLAIN LOW FAT YOGURT)*** to balamce out the other foods with ARGININE.
Just look at ANY cahrt for LYSINE to ARGININE ratio for ***(PLAIN LOW FAT YOGURT)***.
6/18/09 9:59pm
I have been having the pain in my lower back, in my legs, lower abdomen and cramping and burning in the outside of the entry into my vagina since I was diagnosed two years ago. It is awful and I imagined that it had something to do with the herpes. I went to two gynecologists and they didn't know what it was even though they knew I have herpes, they sent me to a urologist who didn't know what it is. It is so painful and I hurt all the time. For about a year it got a little better and I would go 2-4 weeks without the cramping and burning and then I would get it again for a day or two and it would go away again. For the last two and a half months it has been every day all day. I am ready to jump out of my skin it hurts so bad. From what I have been reading it must be something in my diet. I am not sure what I should or shouldn't be eating.
6/20/09 1:12pm
Hello In Vegas, I am not a nutritonist but, I have learned by trial and error what effects me. I cannot eat Olive oil, nuts, dark chocolate or too much milk chocolate, coffee , black teas, soft drinks, water with sodium in it and too much seafood or most especially any wheat flour products. After you get your system straight you can eat most anything just in moderation... Until then Stay away from all wheat bread... Look at my first response also and order that little book and it will help you so much.. I also went online and downloaded any site that had list of foods that show the ratio of lysine and arginine in them... I also never took valtrex everyday until NOW and I take it everyday along with 1000 mg of lysine. I am no doctor but, I suffered for ten long years with the PHN (Postherpetic neuralgia) that is associated with shingles. All the while I thought it was genital herpes and I would only break out on my stomach with one little spot once a year that I thought was herpes and then I finally found a great doctor who GYNO that said that is shingles. Read up on shingles and HPN and it will enlighten you about the pain you are describing. I have changed my life in as little as a week just by watching what I eat and taking the Valtrex. I took 1 mg 3 times a day for a week until the pain stopped and then went to 1 a day afterwards. I am no doctor SO, please you must go to your doctor for instructions. I read on the Valtrex site the reccomdations for dosage on shingles and herpes and discussed it with my doctor. He approved and wrote me a presciption and my life is back on track. Good Luck! let me know if it helps....
6/20/09 1:17pm
Hello In Vegas ...Let me correct my dosage... it is 1 gm of Valtrex not 1 mg...You will need lots of rest as well. That helps so much and try to cut out the stress as much as possible. I know that is hard in life today... Again good luck...hope my situation can help you some.
Phoenix
8/10/09 5:46am
i didn't find olive oil on the charts. what's the ratio? i am also one with SEVERE diet limitations!!! outbreaks controlled by diet, but sudden profound weakness that comes and goes makes life sooo challenging. i take no medications only l-lysine and vitamin therapy. can this valtrex help with the weakness episodes?
1/24/10 1:51pm
You can EAT ALL of the HIGH ARGININE foods you want too, as long as you EAT enough foods with HIGH LYSINE to over come the Arginine. The BEST food for (HIGH LYSINE) to Arginine is ****(PLAIN LOW FAT YOGURT)****. Make eating **(PLAIN LOW FAT YOGURT)** a regular DAILY part of your diet. And you can eat all of those other foods as long YOU eat ENOUGH ***(PLAIN LOW FAT YOGURT)*** to balamce out the other foods with ARGININE.
Just look at ANY cahrt for LYSINE to ARGININE ratio for ***(PLAIN LOW FAT YOGURT)***.
7/ 3/09 4:39pm
i recently started this diet called ISAGENIX and its a very nutrional diet! it has soo many benifts to it and as i was reading the label it has 1,683 mg of lysine now i dont know if thats alot but i recently got herpes i havent gone to the doctor but i know that it has to be herpes before stating this diet my outbreaks were painful but now i just had a outbreak a few days ago and they are soo much smaller and hardly noticble:)
8/10/09 1:42pm
Sunny, thank you for your comments. I too tried Isagenix and was on the program for over 2 years. But, I over did it. It is a great system just do not stay on it as long as I did. I had all kinds of health problems from becoming to akaline. Follow the program to the letter and do not deviate. I lost cellulite, I lost weight, and I even lost brain power in the end and too many other nutrients from cleasing. Make sure you have a great coach on the system. Do not hesitate to ask questions. Good luck
1/24/10 1:49pm
You can EAT ALL of the HIGH ARGININE foods you want too, as long as you EAT enough foods with HIGH LYSINE to over come the Arginine. The BEST food for (HIGH LYSINE) to Arginine is ****(PLAIN LOW FAT YOGURT)****. Make eating **(PLAIN LOW FAT YOGURT)** a regular DAILY part of your diet. And you can eat all of those other foods as long YOU eat ENOUGH ***(PLAIN LOW FAT YOGURT)*** to balamce out the other foods with ARGININE.
Just look at ANY cahrt for LYSINE to ARGININE ratio for ***(PLAIN LOW FAT YOGURT)***.
10/ 5/11 1:45pm
Food Sources
Weight (g)
30 g = 1 oz. Lys (mg) Arg (mg) Ratio
Lys/Arg Yogurt 227 706 237 3.0 Cheese 28 754 273 2.8 Beets 136 72 30 2.4 Milk, skimmed 245 (1 cup) 663 302 2.2 Ice Cream 133 381 174 2.2 Mango 300 85 39 2.2 Apple 150 17 8 2.1 Pear 180 23 12 2.0 Fig 65 19 11 1.7 Avocado 272 189 119 1.6 Salmon 85 (1 oz) 1550 1000 1.6 Tuna in Water 165 4480 2920 1.5 Cod 85 1390 906 1.5 Tomato 123 41 27 1.5 Tomato Juice 243 54 36 1.5 Chicken 109 1860 1320 1.4 Chicken Breast 181 2500 1870 1.3 Pineapple 155 39 28 1.4 Pork 454 7550 5530 1.4 Potato 150 190 140 1.4 Celery 120 32 24 1.3 Beef, steak 454 7320 5550 1.3 Turkey 152 2620 2020 1.3 Peach, dried 130 151 120 1.3 Lettuce, iceberg 75 60 52 1.2 Liver 113 1570 1420 1.1 Spinach 55 98 90 1.1 Whole Egg 50 410 388 1.1 Corn 154 210 200 1.1 Oysters 84 444 433 1.0 Banana 175 55 54 1.0 Asparagus 134 194 192 1.0 Shrimp 85 1500 1510 1.0 Strawberries 149 37 39 1.0 Carrots 110 44 48 1.0 Oats, Cereals 245 (1 cup) 1654 2056 0.8 Green Peas 146 463 625 0.7 Brussels Sprouts 88 130 178 0.7 Orange 180 62 85 0.7 Cashews 160 246 470 0.5 Yams 200 89 191 0.5 Garlic 3 8 19 0.4 Blueberries 145 17 49 0.3 Peanuts 144 1450 5050 0.3 Almonds 142 946 3540 0.3 Orange Juice 245 (1 cup) 22 117 0.2 Hazelnuts 135 459 2480 0.2 Walnuts 100 466 2520 0.2 Note: There are some variations in the number based on the specific subtype of foods. For example, low fat plain yogurt has 1060 mg of lysine whereas skim plain yogurt has 1160 mg. But the ratio of lysine to arginine is the same at 3.0.
30 g = 1 oz. Lys (mg) Arg (mg) Ratio
Lys/Arg Yogurt 227 706 237 3.0 Cheese 28 754 273 2.8 Beets 136 72 30 2.4 Milk, skimmed 245 (1 cup) 663 302 2.2 Ice Cream 133 381 174 2.2 Mango 300 85 39 2.2 Apple 150 17 8 2.1 Pear 180 23 12 2.0 Fig 65 19 11 1.7 Avocado 272 189 119 1.6 Salmon 85 (1 oz) 1550 1000 1.6 Tuna in Water 165 4480 2920 1.5 Cod 85 1390 906 1.5 Tomato 123 41 27 1.5 Tomato Juice 243 54 36 1.5 Chicken 109 1860 1320 1.4 Chicken Breast 181 2500 1870 1.3 Pineapple 155 39 28 1.4 Pork 454 7550 5530 1.4 Potato 150 190 140 1.4 Celery 120 32 24 1.3 Beef, steak 454 7320 5550 1.3 Turkey 152 2620 2020 1.3 Peach, dried 130 151 120 1.3 Lettuce, iceberg 75 60 52 1.2 Liver 113 1570 1420 1.1 Spinach 55 98 90 1.1 Whole Egg 50 410 388 1.1 Corn 154 210 200 1.1 Oysters 84 444 433 1.0 Banana 175 55 54 1.0 Asparagus 134 194 192 1.0 Shrimp 85 1500 1510 1.0 Strawberries 149 37 39 1.0 Carrots 110 44 48 1.0 Oats, Cereals 245 (1 cup) 1654 2056 0.8 Green Peas 146 463 625 0.7 Brussels Sprouts 88 130 178 0.7 Orange 180 62 85 0.7 Cashews 160 246 470 0.5 Yams 200 89 191 0.5 Garlic 3 8 19 0.4 Blueberries 145 17 49 0.3 Peanuts 144 1450 5050 0.3 Almonds 142 946 3540 0.3 Orange Juice 245 (1 cup) 22 117 0.2 Hazelnuts 135 459 2480 0.2 Walnuts 100 466 2520 0.2 Note: There are some variations in the number based on the specific subtype of foods. For example, low fat plain yogurt has 1060 mg of lysine whereas skim plain yogurt has 1160 mg. But the ratio of lysine to arginine is the same at 3.0.
2/16/12 4:24am
I am recently (2 months) drinking a cup of black chinese Green tea and 1 cup or sometimes more Plain low fat Yogurt on a daily basis and have not had that awful herpes (whitlow and genital herpes) outbreak as yet. I feel energetic and more alert. I also apply Alpha Witch Hazel liquid with cotton wool directly on blisters. I do admit that I still enjoy my sweets such as chocolates, popcorn, etc.
4/ 1/12 2:47pm
In Europe researchers say they have found a cure for herpes. I have found the herb they use on this site curanderahealing.com/market.htm
I also avoid chocolate, nuts, peas and citrus.
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By Phoenix— Last Modified: 04/01/12, First Published: 05/30/09
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I do! Read in my question. I have severe PHN (post herpetic neuralgia) when I eat foods that are high in l-arginine. I seem to go into the viral state and I have no energy; I hurt in my lower back, and the skin on the side of my hip feels as if it is on fire. When this happens I do not always have a breakout but, I know when I eat something where the ratio of arginine is higher than the lysine. I have read hundreds of pages on the different foods. They contradict each other. Some say eat chicken others do not. Some say eat soy and others do not etc... I am just wanted to see if anyone had any luck with finding an expanded list of foods. Or if a nutrionist would chime in. I am eating a very limited diet and it is the only way I feel like getting up and around. This is a very painful condition.