Diet for herpes: how to defeat the infection with proper nutrition

Almost everyone is familiar with a “cold” on the lips. As soon as you catch a runny nose or get nervous, an unpleasant harbinger immediately appears - a tingling sensation somewhere around the mouth.

The herpes simplex virus is present in the body of 95% of people. And only a few have immunity, the reasons for which are still unclear.

The virus enters the body in early childhood: at 3–4 years, when the antibodies against the herpes virus transmitted to the baby by the mother are depleted. Most often, infection occurs if a child is kissed by carriers of the infection. In addition to a kiss, the virus can enter the body, for example, with saliva. It penetrates the mucous membranes, reaches the nerve endings, rises into the cranial cavity, where it “hides” in a nerve plexus called the trigeminal ganglion and “sleeps” there until it is reactivated.

Herpes “wakes up” when immunity decreases

Causes of recurrence of herpes on the lips: stress or emotional distress; various other diseases, in particular colds, flu, diabetes, HIV; poisoning or intoxication; drinking alcohol, caffeine and smoking; excessive ultraviolet radiation; hypothermia or overheating; onset of menstruation; overwork and exhaustion; poor nutrition/diet or stomach upset; other factors individual to each person.

After “awakening,” the virus travels back to the skin. As the virus moves through a nerve, it causes inflammation of the nerve tissue.

The development of herpes can be divided into several stages. At the first stage, the person feels unwell. At the site where the “fever” appears, there is pain, tingling, and the skin turns red. At the inflammation stage, a small painful blister filled with fluid forms. After some time, the bubble bursts and a colorless liquid containing billions of viral particles flows out of it. An ulcer appears in its place. At the final stage, the ulcer becomes covered with a crust.

Most often, herpes appears on the lips, but lesions can also appear on the face, in the ears or in the mouth.

Authorized Products

• It is better to cook soups in vegetable broth with the addition of vegetables. Strong broths should be excluded during an exacerbation period (secondary broth can be used).
• Bread made from whole grain flour, rye, bran, and bran bread is consumed in a limited manner.
• Meat products include rabbit, veal, beef, turkey or chicken. They are boiled or baked.
• Allowed types of fish (carp, herring, pollock, sea bass, sardine, cod, tuna and squid) are also boiled, baked or stewed. Fish should be present in the diet daily.
• Dairy products, cottage cheese and cheeses should also be in the diet every day. You should give preference to natural yogurt with bifidobacteria .
• All vegetables and greens, legumes (beans, soybeans, lentils) are allowed. Considering that the value of fresh vegetables is greater, the diet should mainly consist of them. Use various vegetable oils in salads. Include fruits in your diet every day.
• You can eat boiled chicken and quail eggs.
• All cereal products are limited during exacerbation. Whole grains (buckwheat) are allowed, processed wheat products (wheat, semolina) and white rice are excluded.
• Pasta is allowed to a limited extent and only made from whole grain flour.
• Any drinks: green tea, weak tea with milk, natural juices, herbal infusions, compotes, rosehip infusion.

Table of permitted products

What to do if you have a “cold” on your lips

At the moment, no drugs or treatment methods have been developed that would completely destroy the herpes simplex virus in the human body. But we can give some advice to those suffering from herpes.

• Strictly follow the rules of personal hygiene! Since herpes is contagious, it is necessary to wash your hands with soap and use separate utensils and towels.
• Don't put your hands near your eyes! And do not wet your lenses with saliva! Herpes can affect the mucous membrane of the eye.
• It is not recommended to touch the viral rash or kiss. The virus can be transmitted by wearing one lipstick or smoking one cigarette.
• If you try to remove a blister or scab over a sore, the virus can spread to other parts of the body.
• Avoid oral sex! The virus from the affected lips can cause genital herpes in a partner.
• A young mother must also take certain precautions to protect her baby from contracting herpes. If you have herpetic rashes, you must wash your hands with soap and water every time before touching your child. And under no circumstances should the affected surface come into contact with the child’s skin.

Menu (Power Mode)

Taking into account the recommended products, you can create a menu. High lysine content is found in rabbit meat, turkey meat, soybeans, beef, veal, chicken, squid, sea bass, carp, herring, pollock, dairy products and cheeses. These products can be used to create a varied diet. At the same time, dairy products and vegetables are not limited and should be present at every meal.

Enrich your meals with cold-pressed vegetable oils, and use fruits and yoghurts for snacks. Cereal dishes are limited only during the period of exacerbation of the disease, and during the period of remission they should be included in the diet.

How to minimize discomfort

You should start using antiherpes medications as soon as you feel a tingling sensation. Medicines will not get rid of the virus, but they will stop its development and speed up recovery. There are drugs that prevent the development of the virus: tablets, ointments for external use, which help heal blisters and ulcers and reduce discomfort.

When applying the ointment, use cotton swabs to avoid transferring the virus from your lips to the skin of your fingers.

Herpes requires the attention of specialists! A “cold” on the lips can be a symptom of serious diseases: a sharp decrease in immunity, cancer, HIV infection.

If you are suffering from relapses of herpes, consult a doctor. A specialist will not only save you from unnecessary worries and eliminate health hazards, but will also help you choose a comprehensive program for the prevention and treatment of herpes.

In order to make an appointment with an immunologist or dermatologist for a program for the diagnosis and treatment of herpes, call the Family Doctor clinic (clinic hours: Mon-Fri from 8.00 to 21.00, Sat-Sun from 9.00 to 20.00), or sign up for reception and diagnostics via online registration form

Fully or partially limited products

• All types of nuts, sesame and other seeds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds.
• Fried foods, smoked meats, pickled vegetables, canned food, sausages, any semi-finished products.
• Chocolate, gelatin-based dishes, flour products.
• Citrus.
• Alcohol.
• Highly extractive dishes (broths) are excluded.
• Simple carbohydrates (sugar, jam, sweet pastries, cakes, jams, pastries with cream, sweets).

Table of prohibited products

Essential vitamins and where they are found

As part of a proper diet for herpes infection, you must constantly supply your body with vitamins and beneficial microelements:

• Proteins: milk, cottage cheese, dietary meat, fish.
• Omega-3 acids: sardine, mackerel, halibut.
• Vitamin E (antioxidant): dried apricots, prunes, sea buckthorn, spinach, viburnum, rose hips.
• Vitamin D: trout meat, salmon, mushrooms.
• B vitamins: brewer's yeast, wheat germ, brown and brown rice, lettuce, broccoli, liver, beans.
• Vitamin A: fish oil, cod liver.
• Vitamin C: vegetables and greens (bell peppers, Brussels sprouts), black currants, strawberries, apples, apricots, peaches.

Main symptoms of the disease

Herpes zoster mainly occurs on the body. At first it looks like pink spots. Soon they quickly become inflamed, turn red, and become covered with small blisters with transparent contents. Over time, the spots dry out and become crusty, and later they fall off.

The disease is characterized by severe attacks of pain, which can worsen at night.

Other signs of the disease:

• temperature rises to 39°C;
• painful rashes;
• headache;
• trembling and coldness in the body;
• runny nose (in children).

Classification of viruses

According to the existing international classification, primary and recurrent genital herpes . The latter, in turn, is divided into typical and atypical clinical forms and asymptomatic viral shedding.

The term “genital herpes” arose at the beginning of the 20th century. to designate the lesion on the skin and mucous membranes of the external genitalia. With the development of virological research methods, information about “atypical” forms of the disease began to appear. The diagnosis “atypical form of genital herpes” is made by gynecologists to designate a chronic inflammatory process of the internal genitalia (colpitis, vulvovaginitis, endocervicitis, etc.) in the presence of a laboratory confirmed herpetic nature of the disease, in contrast to the “typical” picture of the disease, in which on the mucous membrane These organs have lesions with vesicular-erosive elements. At the same time, herpetic lesions of the urethra, anal area and rectal ampulla fall out of this group, although these organs are anatomically and functionally closely related to the genital area.

Research conducted at the Herpetic Center has shown that diagnosing the HSV virus is now complicated due to the fact that in 65% of cases the disease is atypical.

Methods of treating the disease

Herpes zoster on the face and other areas is treated on an outpatient basis. Inpatient treatment is required only for the generalized form, as well as complications.

The peculiarity of therapy is its complexity - taking antiviral and immunostimulating medications.

Therapy involves relieving intoxication and pain, preventing the progression of infection. For secondary bacterial infections, antibiotics are used. To relieve rashes, use brilliant green and 5% dermatol ointment locally. If the process is sluggish, the doctor may prescribe metacil ointment or solcoseryl.

For herpes zoster on the neck or other areas, physiotherapeutic procedures are also sometimes prescribed.

Diet is important for the effectiveness of therapy. Exclude from the diet:

• fat meat;
• animal fats;
• spicy foods.