cold sores (ick) and finger nails (yay) - any dietary connection?

[2thinchix]

Okay, so first the good news - my fingernails are always awful. Weak, and the split and crack and are always short. Except when I'm pregnant - then they are gloriously long and strong. Well, THAT ain't going to happen again - but since I started the low carb eating they have gotten like that again! Do you think there is a dietary connection? I'd love to know the "why". (by the way, the fingernails were one of my first clues that I was hypothyroid - but the thyroid treatment never really improved them).
Now the not-so-good; I've also always been prone to cold sores, but this past few months has been really, really bad. They're just one after the other. Is it possible there is some nutrient I am missing? The only ones I know of are zinc and lysine and I would think I'd be getting plenty of those on a low carb diet.

[JEY100]

Yeah for the nails!
Rather than a missing nutrient, foods that contain high levels of arginine can cause outbreaks. The ratio of arginine to Lysine is important. Unfortunately those are dark chocolate, nuts like almond, walnut and peanuts, inc. peanut butter and flax. If you eat those, you have to up the ratio with Lysine, which I did with supplements.

[2thinchix]

hmm...I very rarely eat ANY of those yet. I should be prepared for things to get worse when I start adding them.

[Katfishy]

Are you getting enough vitamin C?

[JEY100]

If it wasn't the food, cold sore recurrences can be triggered by stress, fatigue and hormones. Any of these could be involved when you make a dramatic shift in your diet. You will read here some women's cycles get completely messed up as hormones change, some lose hair (whether on low carb or low fat or low calorie, it is a stress to make a major change in your metabolism), some have stressful symptoms of yeast die-off, etc. Whatever the reason, I took L-Lysine 2xday and used an anti-viral cream to control them. I think mine were from adding a 1/4c Flaxmeal MIM, nuts and dark chocolate for snacks, but it could have been just stress from weight loss. I'd rather lose weight plus keep the snacks, so I supplemented.

[chuck41]

I too have always been prone to cold sores. Lysine suppliments help a bunch. A number of years ago I discovered that I got one every time I visited my parents in Louisiana. Those were not stressful trips, but they served iced tea at most every meal. Come to find out that is a big no no for me and apparently that is not uncommon. With me, one day drinking iced tea produces one cold sore, even with lysine! I can not drink it even a little.

I also have to restrict peanuts and peanut butter. Other nuts don't affect me that much nor does chocolate or flax. Tea appears to be the biggie. As long as I take lysine, restrict peanuts and peanut butter to small occasional portions and completely avoid iced tea, no more cold sores.

[JEY100]

TEA?? Really?? No wonder I get cold sores, drink a lot in the winter hot, and iced by the bucket in the summer. :lol: :lol: I'll watch that now..or just buy the extra large size of Lysine. Thanks, Chuck.

[Whofan]

Your strong nails are almost certainly due to increased protein and/or increased absorption of vitamins from reducing/eliminating grains. By the time I stopped being a vegan my nails were thinner than paper. So bad, a manicurist refused to work on them. They improved immediately I returned to eating animal products. Today, on low carb, I could use them to hammer nails, lol.

I've never noticed a cold sore/nutrient connection before but the advice above is very interesting. However, emotional stress when I'm feeling a bit physically run down practically guarantees a cold sore.

[chuck41]

TEA?? Really?? No wonder I get cold sores, drink a lot in the winter hot, and iced by the bucket in the summer. :lol: :lol: I'll watch that now..or just buy the extra large size of Lysine. Thanks, Chuck.
I am extremely sensitive to it. Emotional or physical stress is a big thing with it. Lysine usually controls it for me, but not if I throw lots of peanuts or tea into the mix all bets are off. Apparently the tannic acid in the tea is the culprit there.

[2thinchix]

Thanks for all the info! I'll admit that this is a really, really stressful time of year at work, so that may be a factor, but I'll also watch for trigger foods. And in the meantime - I've decided my next "diet reward" will be a manicure because (would you believe?) I have NEVER had one!

[WereBear]

Yay for strong nails!

Do you supplement with Vitamin D3? This did absolute WONDERS for my immune system. I take 10k a day and get an extraordinary sense of well-being from it.

Also, chelated magnesium helps balance the D and provides an important mineral our food is usually deficient in.

Second the Vitamin C for stress. I discovered our adrenals apparently BURN through it when under stress; help them out!