This question, whether or not its possible through natural or artificial means to change the way semen tastes, is a funny one. Often when we talk about male sexuality in our society we separate the genitals from the man. Men do this a lot as well. They talk about penises, erections, and ejaculation as if these body parts and events exist apart from their bodies and outside of time (kind of an extension of the cliché that the penis has a mind of its own).
So it can seem odd for men to take such a particular interest not only in their semen (or, to share my favorite medical term, their “emissions”) but also in the taste of it. To be fair it isn’t only men who email me asking this question, often it’s female partners.
There isn’t any good research on this question, but we can benefit from the many years of painstaking personal research men and women have undertaken in their search for a slightly less bitter pill to swallow. Below you’ll find suggestions on things you can do that may alter the taste of semen.
If you’re reading this because you happen to be the owner of bitter tasting semen keep in mind that while a bitter taste is a common complaint, it may also be a sign of a urinary or prostate infection. Particularly if the taste of your semen has changed all of a sudden, this may be something worth talking with your doctor about.
Foods that May Alter Semen Taste
One of the few educational references I found to semen taste in a human sexuality textbook called Our Sexuality by Robert Crooks and Karla Baur. There the authors suggest what foods may have an influence on semen taste. Below are some of their suggestions along with other ideas that are common across anecdotal accounts.
Bitter taste: coffee, alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana (of course there are other sexual reasons to consider cutting out those drugs)
Sharp taste: red meat, greasy foods, dairy products, chocolate, asparagus, broccoli, spinach, garlic, onions.
Sweet taste: fruits (pineapple, mango, grapes, apple), parsley, celery, spearmint, peppermint, naturally fermented drinks, cinnamon, lemon, cardamom, wheatgrass
Several sources suggest that vegetarians may have milder tasting semen, and that people who have diabetes will have sweeter tasting semen. Of course your overall health is of much greater importance to sexual health than the taste of your semen, so any changes in diet need to be done thoughtfully and with your own health in mind. So don’t start downing sugar drinks and candy just to improve the taste of your semen. I promise that improving your overall nutrition will have a greater impact on your sex life than sweetening up the taste of your ejaculate.
Other Methods
Aside from changing your diet there are a few ways to deal with the taste of semen. There are many flavored lubricants on the market that may mask the taste (although the taste of most of those products may not be any better than the natural alternative).Using a condom during oral sex (flavored or unflavored) is a guaranteed way to keep semen well away from taste buds. It’s also a great way to make oral sex a bit safer.
Finally there are products currently available that come in pill or powder form that claim to change the taste of semen. Unless a product can produce clinical testing that was published in a reputable and preferably peer-reviewed journal, I wouldn’t recommend spending the money. Many of these products are scams that prey on embarrassment and sexual ignorance of consumers.
By Cory Silverberg, About.com
Updated: July 15, 2008
