Individuals who have poor nutrition or certain physical conditions may be advised to increase their intake of foods containing arginine. Arginine is found in a wide variety of foods, including:
*Animal sources : dairy products (e.g., cottage cheese, ricotta, milk, yogurt, whey protein drinks), beef, pork (e.g., bacon, ham), gelatin , poultry (e.g. chicken and turkey light meat), wild game (e.g. pheasant, quail), seafood (e.g., halibut, lobster, salmon, shrimp, snails, tuna)
*Plant sources : wheat germ and flour, buckwheat, granola, oatmeal, peanuts, nuts (coconut, pecans, cashews, walnuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, pinenuts), seeds (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower), chick peas, cooked soybeans, dark chocolate, Phalaris canariensis (canaryseed or ALPISTE)
==Special Precautions of Arginine==
*A known side effect of L-arginine is that it undermines the effect of lysine in suppression of viral infection. Therefore, for a person infected with viruses (eg. herpes virus), it is recommended to reduce L-arginine supplement dosage or not to eat foods high in L-arginine. Pregnant and lactating women are advised to be cautious with their arginine intake and dosage. Other side effects of l-arginine (when taken in high dosage and for long term) are thickening and coarsening of skin.