Monsoon food
The
arrival of Monsoon is of course the prettiest thing. Apart from selecting the monsoon
attires and the umbrellas, choosing healthy diet for this season will help out
to get rid of cold Knowing your food to avoid and include will make you as your
doctor.
The chemistry of
Lysine and Arginine
Lysine and arginine are amino acids, which are the basic building blocks
of proteins. They have an antagonistic relationship with one another that
results in lysine being able
to reduce arginine's ability
to help synthesize certain proteins.
Ø Avoid certain foods, especially the ones high
in arginine and low in lysine. 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.
Ø 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,
Ø Lysine appears to help the body absorb calcium,
and it plays an important role in the formation of collagen, a substance
important for bones and connective tissues including skin, tendon, and
cartilage. It plays an essential role in the production of carnitine, a
nutrient responsible for converting fatty acids into energy and helping to
lower cholesterol
Dietary sources
Foods rich in protein are good sources
of lysine. That includes meat (specifically red meat, pork, and poultry),
cheese (particularly parmesan), certain fish (such as cod and sardines), nuts,
eggs, soybeans (particularly tofu, isolated soy protein, and defatted soybean
flour), spirulina, and fenugreek seed. Brewer's yeast, beans and other legumes,
and dairy products also contain lysine. Many nuts also contain lysine along
with arginine (lysine counteracts some of the effects of arginine).
Food not
to be taken 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.
Smriti Mishra
www.smritimishra.com
