Just like a fairy tale, the herpes virus sleeps.
This tale is about a sleeping giant.
This giant can wake up at any time.
Sad to say once it is in your system, it will remain there.
It hibernates in your nerve cells until something awakens it like; stress, fatigue, sun exposure, or some other trigger.
Now there are certain foods that are the triggers, feeding this beast, while there are other foods that help keep it dormant.
My ultimate goal here is to help you keep it dormant.
Naturally, you will want to eat the foods that keep your immune system strong.
Because when you are sick, you are especially vulnerable to an outbreak (it can be either a cold sore or genital herpes) just adding more insult to your injury.
Foods that help build your immune system also help prevent an outbreak of this virus.
Foods that contain an amino acid called arginine feed the virus while foods that contain another amino acid called lysine helps to block this virus.
What are the good ones you ask? Well foods rich in lysine are chicken, steak, flounder, shrimp, cottage cheese, plain yogurt, fat free milk and Muenster cheese.
You should aim for up to three thousand milligrams of lysine throughout the day.
Garlic, because it is full of antioxidants, especially its selenium has great antiviral powers and one you will want to eat liberally.
Plain yogurt needs to be high on your list as it is full of beneficial bacteria that helps keep the bad bacteria in your body in check and it is known to boost immune cell activity.
While neither of the foregoing will actually prevent herpes, they will keep you healthy and make an outbreak less likely.
One last remedy and an old fashion one at that.
Buy some real licorice from a health food store, cut it in thin slices and place them directly on the herpes sore for ten minutes.
It will reduce the pain and speed up the healing.
As always you are what you eat.
Eat well to stay well.