Contrary to popular belief, semen isn’t just made up of sperm. 80% of it is water, according to Nelson Bennett, MD, urologist at Northwestern Memorial.

“It also contains proteins and amino acids. It has fructose and glucose (both are sugars), zinc, calcium, vitamin C, and a few other nutrients,” Bennett says.

In fact, sperm themselves make up less than one percent of your semen. Fascinating!

As a general rule, fruit is your friend, since it will enhance fructose and glucose already present in your semen.

“Higher fluid intake also increases the amount of seminal fluid that a man produces,” says Dr. Bennett. The more hydrated you are, the more volume you can expect, and an improved taste.

“Naturally sugary fruits like kiwi fruits, blueberries and stone fruit (plums, peaches, dates, nectarines) also improve your taste,” says Dr. Bennett.

Other spices and herbs can improve the taste of your semen as well. “Cinnamon, wheatgrass, peppermint, spearmint and parsley all sweeten the taste of your semen,” says Bennett.

One vegetable in particular may help as well: “celery is high in vitamin C, which will help flush out the salty flavor,” says Bennett.

Though we don’t exactly know why this is, “coffee (caffeine), tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana can make the semen bitter tasting, and the by-products of these substances are excreted in bodily secretions like sweat, urine and semen,” says Bennett.

Additionally, red meat, dairy, chocolate, asparagus, broccoli, spinach can make the semen taste salty, strong and sharp. “Those of us who eat asparagus have experienced unsavory smelling urine a few hours later,” says Bennett. The same applies to your semen.

If you want to try to improve the taste of your semen through your diet, be aware that the effects aren’t instantaneous.

“Changes in semen taste as a result of ingesting certain foods and liquids takes several days to weeks to manifest,” says Dr. Bennett. “The prostatic fluid that makes up a large portion of semen volume is made several days before ejaculation, so drinking a quart of pineapple juice today will not sweeten the semen tonight.” (It’s also not that great for your overall health to ingest that much sugar at once, so try to space it out a bit.)