Coldsores and bad skin - what am I doing wrong?

Alpha&Omega

I still eat eggs and drink milk, so not gone vegan yet, but since I cut out all meat I've noticed that my skin has gotten much worse, I'm in my late 30's and nearly got the skin of a teenager. I've also gotten coldsores in the past very very rarely, but since I've cut out all meat this year I get them maybe once or twice a month!!

Is there something obvious that I should be including in my diet that I'm clearly deficient in that could help? I can post a typical day's diet if that helps.

Breakfast:
porridge + milk
kiwifruit; mandarin orange
3 eggs + large handful fried spinach

Snack:
500ml - Green smoothie (contains banana; blueberries; apple; spinach; cannellini beans; flax, hemp, chia, pumpkin, and sunflower seeds; spirulina powder + water)

Lunch:
Veggie Burritto - (beans; peppers; onions; guacamole; salsa)

Workout:
Whey protein; creatine + dextrose
[edit: is creatine from animal sources? I know it occurs in meat, but not sure if that's the only source, and can't find any info on it!]

Dinner:
Veggie Chilli - brown rice + quorn mince; peppers; chilli; carrots; celery; onions)

Snack:
500ml - Green smoothie

Supper:
2 slices whole wheat toast + peanut butter


Obviously I don't eat the same thing day in day out, so it will change and there's a decent variety of green leafy veg in soups when I'm bothered making it, and maybe sweet potatoes with beans or quorn + veggies instead of chilli. What, if anything, am I doing wrong?

Mentalmiss

There is no way that you are deficient in anything with that amount and variety of food. Have you considered that it may be something that you need to take out and not something you need to add back.

seamus

Coldsores are caused by the herpes virus, so it's unlikely that something in your diet is triggering cold sores. However if you are experiencing general skin issues with broken skin, then you may find it harder to clear up a coldsore outbreak because you're being continually re-infected.

I agree that it's far more likely to be something you've added to your diet rather than taken away. Is there anything specific that you have added since taking away the meat?

BabysCoffee

Taking lysine can prevent coldsores

Alpha&Omega

Mentalmiss wrote: »

There is no way that you are deficient in anything with that amount and variety of food. Have you considered that it may be something that you need to take out and not something you need to add back.

I can't post the link to source my info, but it seems you're right that I need to avoid arginine to avoid outbreaks and get more lysine to attack them when they do occur.

The amino acid arginine is thought to play a role in reactivating the cold sore virus. To prevent recurrences, avoid chocolate, nuts, whole-grain cereals, and gelatin, which are all rich in arginine. Eat more kidney beans, split peas, and corn, which are rich in lysine.

Alpha&Omega

seamus wrote: »

Coldsores are caused by the herpes virus, so it's unlikely that something in your diet is triggering cold sores. However if you are experiencing general skin issues with broken skin, then you may find it harder to clear up a coldsore outbreak because you're being continually re-infected.

I agree that it's far more likely to be something you've added to your diet rather than taken away. Is there anything specific that you have added since taking away the meat?

I had been on a very low carb diet, not quite paleo but similar by only allowing starchy cards post workouts to replenish the glycogen stores in muscles. I was doing this in an attempt to cut fat and maintain muscle. Since I dropped meat I realised that I needed to reintroduce whole wheat bread to combine with pulses so it combines to form a complete protein. I also eat a good bit of almond and peanut butter daily to try and keep my calories up. Could be I introduced the very different diet too quickly and needed to ease into it?

Alpha&Omega

BabysCoffee wrote: »

Taking lysine can prevent coldsores

Thanks, I appreciate the advice, I eat a good amount of beans and other pulses already. Might be too much arginine as I described above that's triggering the outbreaks of the Coldsores anyway. As for the poor skin, I guess that's just a mystery!

bpmurray

BabysCoffee wrote: »

Taking lysine can prevent coldsores

Nope - all the research on this is inconclusive, i.e. it clears up anyway so there's no indication that lysine helps. In theory it might, because lysine appears to inhibit the absorption of arginine which is needed by the virus, but that's a long way from baldly stating that it can prevent or cure it!

seamus

Alpha&#937 wrote: »

I had been on a very low carb diet, not quite paleo but similar by only allowing starchy cards post workouts to replenish the glycogen stores in muscles. I was doing this in an attempt to cut fat and maintain muscle. Since I dropped meat I realised that I needed to reintroduce whole wheat bread to combine with pulses so it combines to form a complete protein. I also eat a good bit of almond and peanut butter daily to try and keep my calories up. Could be I introduced the very different diet too quickly and needed to ease into it?

That's a pretty big swing between extreme diets.

Are the nuts and seeds something new? If so, I'd be inclined to pop them all out for two weeks and see if that helps. So a fruit only smoothie for your snack, leave out the seeds and powders, and plain old butter on your toast.

But if you've always had loads of seeds and nuts in your diet then forget that

Otherwise, tbh it's going to be very tough for anyone here to really look and see what's happening. You clearly have a very focussed routine and diet that you pay close attention to. What may be more useful for you is a trip to your GP to get some bloods done and hormone levels checked. It could be completely unrelated to the change in diet.
"Teenager" skin is largely down to hormonal rather than dietary issues, and you mention you're in your late 30s. So I think it's an avenue worth exploring.

Alpha&Omega

seamus wrote: »

That's a pretty big swing between extreme diets.

Are the nuts and seeds something new? If so, I'd be inclined to pop them all out for two weeks and see if that helps. So a fruit only smoothie for your snack, leave out the seeds and powders, and plain old butter on your toast.

But if you've always had loads of seeds and nuts in your diet then forget that

Otherwise, tbh it's going to be very tough for anyone here to really look and see what's happening. You clearly have a very focussed routine and diet that you pay close attention to. What may be more useful for you is a trip to your GP to get some bloods done and hormone levels checked. It could be completely unrelated to the change in diet.
"Teenager" skin is largely down to hormonal rather than dietary issues, and you mention you're in your late 30s. So I think it's an avenue worth exploring.

I did eat a little nuts and seeds before maybe a handful once or twice a week, and rarely ate nut butters, so they have increased a lot. I thought (wrongly it seems) that I needed to make complete proteins by combining say pulses (like peanut butter) and grains, or seeds along with spirulina etc... But from what I can gather on this forum, it's not necessarily needed to combine in each meal, just overall in the diet.

I'll take your advice on board about visiting the GP though, a checkup is long overdue. And I'll see whether there's a massive waiting list for bloods on a medical card.

ab4248

bpmurray wrote: »

Nope - all the research on this is inconclusive, i.e. it clears up anyway so there's no indication that lysine helps. In theory it might, because lysine appears to inhibit the absorption of arginine which is needed by the virus, but that's a long way from baldly stating that it can prevent or cure it!

Research may be inconclusive but Im a firm believer. I used to get terrible reoccuring coldsores especially in weather extremes. I have been coldsore free for 4 years. I only take lysine if I'm going on holidays, am feeling stressed/ ran down or if I have an importatnt occasion coming up. Works for me

seamus

Alpha&#937 wrote: »

I did eat a little nuts and seeds before maybe a handful once or twice a week, and rarely ate nut butters, so they have increased a lot. I thought (wrongly it seems) that I needed to make complete proteins by combining say pulses (like peanut butter) and grains, or seeds along with spirulina etc... But from what I can gather on this forum, it's not necessarily needed to combine in each meal, just overall in the diet.

A mixed diet is important, but not so essential that you need to have a very regimented diet. Like I say, you appear to be training though so your dietery requirements are probably quite specific in terms of what you want to achieve.

My thinking behind the nuts and seeds - being very conscious that we're bordering on medical advice and I am no sort of medical person - is that an extremely low-level nut allergy will remain undetected in most people under most circumstances. But a sudden increase in regular nut/seed intake can cause minor rashes and other skin issues to appear.
If you cut them out for two weeks and see no change, then I'm completely wrong, and you can put them back into your diet

Mentalmiss

I get coldsores when I am stressed or after a flight. I find that keeping my lips moist helps so I use a lip balm when I feel one coming on.