If you’re searching for which fruits have the most lysine vs arginine, you’re in the right place!
I had the same question, did a ton of research, and found the correct answer.
Listed below are the top ten fruits with the most lysine vs arginine.
This means that each of these fruits all have at least twice as much lysine vs arginine per serving.
If you have a form of the herpes virus like me, that means great news! We can eat as much of these fruits as we like without risking a herpes outbreak. In a hurry? Scroll down for a chart that sums up the stats on all 10 of our high lysine, low arginine fruits!
#1 Carambola (Starfruit)
Did this one surprise you too?! I had no idea this fun tropical fruit had the absolute best lysine to arginine ratio of all fruits. I would like to formally crown her the Queen of Lysine! 👑
1 cup of cubed carambola (132g) has 102mg of lysine and 28mg of arginine.
Total lysine to arginine ratio: 3.6 to 1!
#2 Papaya
Topping the charts at #2, papaya is traditionally known for its high content of healthy digestive enzymes. Now we can add “Friend of the Herpes Virus” to that too!
1 cup of 1″ cut pieces (145g) of papaya has has 36mg of lysine and 14mg of arginine.
Total lysine to arginine ratio: 2.6 to 1
#3 Sapodilla
This sweet, juicy fruit is Native to Mexico and Central America. It grows in many tropical climates though, and you can usually find it in your grocery store (if not, you can get it from Miami Fruit!).
1 cup of sapodilla (241g) has 94mg of lysine and 41mg of arginine.
Total lysine to arginine ratio: 2.3 to 1
#4 Apricots
Not only can this pretty fruit help keep our eyes healthy (bc of its high content of Vitamin A and beta-carotene), but it can help keep our skin outbreak-free and silky smooth as its own!
1 cup of apricot halves (155g) has 150mg of lysine and 70mg of arginine.
Total lysine to arginine ratio: 2.1 to 1
#5 Mangos
Oh my mango! Whether you eat them straight or chop them into a tropical style salsa, mangos are packed with antioxidants, vitamin C, and will help keep you outbreak-free! (Ooh I be ryhymin’ and stuff ya’ll)
1 cup of mango pieces (165g) has 109mg of lysine and 51mg of arginine.
Total lysine to arginine ratio: 2.1 to 1
#6 Apples
No matter which variety you choose, you’ll be choosing wisely! Apples will help you keep the herpes monster at bay aaaand give you a good dose of fiber. (Ooh outbreak-free AND good poops? Yaaasss)
1 cup of quartered or chopped apples (125g) has 15mg of lysine and 7mg of arginine.
Total lysine to arginine ratio: 2.1 to 1
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#7 Cherries
Declared by Health.com to be “one of the healthiest foods you can eat,” cherries are a sweet treat chock full of antioxidants. If you’re trying to eat the rainbow, we have found your red. 😍🌈🍒
1 cup of unpitted cherries (138g) has 44mg of lysine and 25mg of arginine.
Total lysine to arginine ratio: 1.8 to 1
Need a good laugh?
Check out this NYTB classic, “If life’s a bowl of cherries, what am I doing in the pits?” by Erma Bombeck on Amazon.
#8 Nectarines
Did you know that Nectarines are a type of peach? They have a genetic mutation that creates smooth skin instead of fuzzy peach skin. You can think about your own smooth skin you’ll be contributing to while enjoying this nutrient-dense gem of a fruit!
1 cup of nectarine slices (143g) has 23mg of lysine and 13mg of arginine.
Total lysine to arginine ratio: 1.8 to 1
#9 Pears
Excellent for digestion and overall gut health (make sure you eat the skin for the fiber!), pears are also full of vitamins, antioxidants, and essential minerals that can help keep your body hippy happy and outbreak free.
1 cup of sliced pears (140g) has 24mg of lysine and 14mg of arginine.
Total lysine to arginine ratio: 1.7 to 1
#10 Figs
Forget gold, did you know that early athletes were given figs as the first Olympic “medal”? They were also used as training food! Follow in their footsteps friends, and nourish your body with these Olympic-worthy nuggets of yumminess!
1 large fig (64g / 2 1/2″ diameter) has 19mg of lysine and 11mg of arginine.
Total lysine to arginine ratio: 1.7 to 1
Special Mention: There is actually another fruit called Feijoa (a.k.a. pineaple guava) that has an excellent lysine to arginine ratio of 2 to 1, but I didn’t list it above because it is a bit more uncommon. Since you might not be able to find it in your local grocery store, I omitted it from the list.
Based on my research, it’s native to South America but is now grown in California and New Zealand. If you happen to be one of the lucky ones that can find this little green fruit, feel free to enjoy as much as you’d like without worrying about causing a herpes outbreak!
1 cup of pureed Feijoa (243g) has 92mg of lysine and 46mg of arginine. That would put it below apples and above cherries on our list, making it #7!
Top 10 Fruits with the Most Lysine vs Arginine:
Quick View Chart
| Position | Fruit | Weight (g) | Measure | Lysine (mg) Per Measure | Arginine (mg) Per Measure | Ratio of Lysine to Arginine |
| #1 | Carambola (Starfruit) | 132 | 1 cup, cubes | 102 | 28 | 3.6 to 1 |
| #2 | Papayas | 145 | 1 cup, 1″ pieces | 36 | 14 | 2.6 to 1 |
| #3 | Sapodilla | 241 | 1 cup, pulp | 94 | 41 | 2.3 to 1 |
| #4 | Apricots | 155 | 1 cup, halves | 150 | 70 | 2.1 to 1 |
| #5 | Mangos | 165 | 1 cup, pieces | 109 | 51 | 2.1 to 1 |
| #6 | Apples | 125 | 1 cup, quartered or chopped | 15 | 7 | 2.1 to 1 |
| #7 | Cherries | 138 | 1 cup, with pits | 44 | 25 | 1.8 to 1 |
| #8 | Nectarines | 143 | 1 cup, slices | 23 | 13 | 1.8 to 1 |
| #9 | Pears | 140 | 1 cup, slices | 24 | 14 | 1.7 to 1 |
| #10 | Figs | 64 | 1 large (2 1/2″ dia) | 19 | 11 | 1.7 to 1 |
Source for this data plus a special note on variations:
All data for this article, including in the table shown, was taken from the USDA FoodData Central database. For many of the fruits listed, there are a number of variations provided in the database.
For example, there are 15 different variations just for pears! Every variety of pear plus canned versions (one for each type of syrup it was packed in) as well as dried, sulfured, and stewed versions are included.
I considered that when we’re are looking for high lysine low arginine fruit, we’re most likely looking for raw fruit that we would easily find in the produce section of the grocery store.
Therefore, I only included the fresh fruit varieties and excluded all frozen, dried, canned, stewed, etc versions of each item.
However, if you’re looking for the data for any of the other variations I mentioned, you can search individually for them on the FoodData website at the link above, or you can grab a copy my Lysine vs Arginine Food Ratio Charts below!
The Lysine vs Arginine Food Ratio Charts
This is a 60+ page quick reference guide I put together to help people just like you and I who are focusing on preventing herpes virus-related outbreaks through our diets.
The data is formatted in a way that makes it easy for you to see not only the lysine and arginine content of each food, but more importantly, its ratio of lysine to arginine.
Save yourself hours of time. I did the hard work so you don’t have to! This clear, concise quick reference guide contains all the info you need and nothing you don’t.
Keep your life simple with this go-to reference guide and never again worry about doing multiple searches over and over, then sorting through unnecessary info to find out what you really want to know…
HOW MUCH LYSINE VS ARGININE DOES THIS FOOD HAVE? All of that info is now condensed and right at your fingertips at a moment’s access.
The foods in each chart have been sorted with the highest (best) lysine to arginine ratio at the top, and the lowest at the bottom. This way, it’s easy for you to know which foods are safe and which to be careful with.
Here’s a sample image of one of the pages inside to give you an idea of what you’ll be getting. (There are 11 pages for veggies alone!)
Sample Page: Lysine to Arginine Ratio of Vegetables
To be clear, the Lysine to Arginine Quick Reference Guide contains specially designed Lysine to Arginine Food Ratio Charts. The charts don’t contain any of the other nutritional data such as protein, carbohydrates, etc.
It only contains the vital info you need to decide the following:
- Whether you can consume a certain food by itself (for the foods with more lysine than arginine)
- Whether you need to combine that food with a high lysine food to balance it out (for those that have slightly more arginine than lysine)
- Whether you might be better off avoiding that food entirely (for the foods that are super high in arginine compared to lysine. I call these the outbreak party starters lol.)
It was specially designed for people like you and me who are trying to consume high lysine, low arginine foods in order to prevent herpes virus-related outbreaks.
Get your copy today and use it for the rest of your life! Easy peasy! 🙂
I’m just a regular person who learned the hard way that too much arginine causes herpes outbreaks. I found real solutions that have worked for me to prevent outbreaks for years. My mission is to share everything I’ve learned with as many people as possible, to prevent them from going through the same pain and suffering I did. Because once you know what to do, you won’t have to suffer anymore!