What Food to Avoid with a Cold

A change in the weather brings with itself some infections and diseases; especially the popular ‘cold’, which hardly spares anyone. There is no specific remedy to get rid of a cold instantly, as no matter what you do, it stays with you for sometime, like an uninvited guest. Yet there are certain home remedies and precautions that can be taken, so that the situation does not get aggravated. The best you can do is to avoid certain foods, especially the ones high in arginine and low in lysine. Lysine and arginine are two amino acids that compete for the same storage space. Lysine does not promote cold but if you take a diet rich in arginine, the lysine will get discarded, in order to store the former. Since arginine will support the production and multiplication of virus, your cold will get worse. So, you should concentrate on a diet that is high in lysine and low in arginine, and avoid the vice-versa. Read on to know what foods to avoid with a cold i.e. the foods that contain more arginine than lysine.

Foods Not To Be Eaten During Cold

All types of nuts
All types of seeds
Beer
Brown rice
Carob
Chick peas
Chocolate (in any form)
Coconut
Coffee and Tea, Cola
Eggplants
Fruits and berries, including grapes, grapefruit and oranges
Gelatin
Mushrooms
Oatmeal, Soya beans, corn (in any form)
Vegetables like onions, peas, pumpkins, tomatoes, carrots and broccoli
Red wine
Seafood with shells (such as oysters and shrimps)
Sugar, artificial sweeteners
Wheat

Foods To Have During Cold

Given below is a list of foods that are rich in lysine. You should include them in your diet if you have cold.

Dairy products like milk, cheese, curd, butter, yogurt etc.
Lysine-rich animal foods include chicken, fish, eggs and beef.
Fruits like apples, papaya, mangoes, bananas, pear and summer squash.
Figs, almond nuts and avocados can also be taken to fight cold sore.
Vegetarians can also go for lysine supplements. The supplement is safe to eat and does not have side effect.

Tips

Do not avoid arginine foods for a longer period of time (not more than a few weeks), as they have high nutritional value and are required by the body for best health. Avoid them just to treat the current outbreak.
Some people are allergic to dairy products and cannot tolerate them. In that case, they have to depend on the supplements.
You can also go for foods rich in Vitamin C, like oranges, lemon etc, as they aid in fighting sicknesses like cold.
Honey can also be taken, as it helps against the discomfort due to running nose and soothes your condition.
Garlic is a boon in cold, as it protects the immune system from bacterial and viral infections.

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