Doing a search for these, I find that foods are popping up on both lists. I believe I have found foods to avoid though. Am I on the right track? Missed any? nuts and nut butters (peanut butter) seeds chocolate carob coconut raisins gelatin whole grains lentils soybeans spinach watercress seaweed
Anything south of the 1.0 lysine/arginine ratio on a page like this.... http://www.herpes.com/Nutrition.shtml Those foods should be either avoided, or only consumed in a meal where the total ratio of lysine to arginine remains above 1.0. So the total quantity of arginine consumed should remain less than the total lysine consumed. So, if you were going to eat a steak for dinner, you could throw a couple raisins in for desert without blowing the ratios at all cause there is lots of lysine in steak and not much arginine in raisins, even though the ratio of lysine to arginine in a raisin is poor on it's own.
Here is a nutrition database, on the home page it has tools to search or compare foods etc, you need to register to use the tool but it is free this is a comprehensive list of all types of foods higher in arginine than lysine and also listed by category http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000089000000083000000-w.html My advice is while trying to get your symptoms under control to avoid the foods that have more arginine than lysine so you don't need to worry if you have enough lysine to cover the amount of arginine. Also why fuel the virus in any way while trying to control your symptoms.
I am not sure that my MD is caused by HSV so I stick with a low sodium diet ( 1200- 1400 mg a day) - and I have no problem eating a NY sirloin and a burger in the same week - I use olive oil to baste my steak with and then I rub them with diff McCormick salt free marinades.... and I might have a baked potatoe done on the grill and use unsalted butter with pepper..... if I have a burger I use a potatoe roll ( so far that is the lowest sodium roll i have found - about 170 mg vs anywhere from 300 - 410 in other rolls or hard rolls- never realized bread had so much sodium) - and I use a little less than a qtr cup of cheddar cheese instead of American cheese ( 170 mg per qtr cup vs about 400 mg per slice of American)...... I am also able to eat unsalted nuts/cashews/peanuts etc - couple handfuls - or I snack on lightly salted popcorn - popsicles - no salt chips - raw veggies..... You just have to try what works and what doesn't - keeping a food diary for a month so you know what your triggers are is def helpful.... I don't drink alcohol or caffeine either.... but I never really have so that isn't necessarily an MD thing. Good luck to you