Red pepper soup
By Sarah Schenker published
Give your soldiers all the ammunition they need. Suitable for vegetarians

Ingredients
1 pint of water – for stock
1 pint of milk
2 large tomatoes, chopped (skinned and de-seeded if preferred)
Four red peppers, diced
1tbsp cream
1 vegetable stock cube
1 medium onion,
finely chopped
2tbsp tomato purée
1tsp sugar
1tbsp olive oil
2tbsp fresh basil
2 cloves of garlic
Salt and pepper
How to make it (serves 4)
Heat the olive oil and then add the onions, garlic, basil and peppers. Sauté for around ten minutes. Add the stock and milk and liquidise until smooth. Add the tomatoes and tomato purée and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the sugar, cream and seasoning to taste. Simmer for a further five minutes and serve with the granary rolls.
Per portion: 195 cals; 7g fat; 8.5g protein; 26g carbs
What you get
Red peppers
Red peppers are an excellent source of betacarotene, supplying nearly 15 times as much as green peppers. Betacarotene is important for the efficient maturation of sperm.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes, and tomato purée in particular, are good sources of vitamin C. In trials, men with low vitamin C intakes have been found to have significantly increased levels of poorly developed sperm. Proper formation of sperm is restored after a month when intakes of vitamin C are increased.
Milk
Milk supplies zinc, needed for healthy sperm – a lack of it in the diet can contribute to impotence.
Granary roll
The whole grains in granary rolls supply vitamin E, which appears to help increase both sperm count and mobility. Men taking vitamin A supplements have been observed to have improved sperm mobility.
Dr Sarah Schenker is a dietitian, sports dietitian and public health nutritionist, who has worked with Jamie Oliver on his Feed Me Better campaign, Premiership football clubs including Chelsea FC and Tottenham Hotspur, and various government committees.
Sarah co-authored the book The Fast Diet (opens in new tab), has written other books including My Sugar Free Baby and Me and Eating Fat Will Make You Fat (opens in new tab), and has contributed to the Mail Online (opens in new tab), the Huffington Post (opens in new tab) and many others.
Sarah is a member of the British Dietetic Association (opens in new tab), Nutrition Society (opens in new tab), Association for Nutrition (opens in new tab) and the Guild of Health Writers (opens in new tab).
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