If you’ve been going to the gym for a while and researching what supplements to take to help with your diet and your performance, then you’ve highly likely heard of creatine.
As one of the most popular supplements on the market, creatine is known amongst athletes and regular gym-goers as one of the most effective and scientifically proven ways to aid your nutrition and recover better and more effectively in the long run.
With that said, many are skeptical when it comes to taking pills or dissolving powders, which is why in this article we’re going to talk about ways to get creatine from natural sources.
So, if that sounds like a topic you want to learn more about, then keep on reading.
What is Creatine?
Before we move on to talking about creatine sources, let’s first discuss what this amino acid does and why it’s so useful for athletes. Creatine is often referred to as a vital cog in the machinery of the energy produced by our body.
Synthesized primarily in the liver, kidneys, and, to a certain degree, pancreas, it’s derived from three amino acids – methionine, arginine, and glycine. Once formed, creatine goes through the bloodstream and is used by muscle cells as it plays a crucial role in the generation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is known as our body’s primary energy currency of the cells.
Along with its vital role in energy production, creatine has plenty of benefits for the muscles and the brain. It helps enhance strength, increase muscle mass, and help you recover quicker after rigorous exercise, and the good thing is that all of those effects have been confirmed by countless studies.
The positive effects creatine has on the brain are less known but just as profound. It’s connected to improving cognitive performance, particularly when it comes to tasks that require thinking quickly on your feet. Along with that, it’s also proven to be helpful for improving memory and reducing mental fatigue.
What are Natural Sources of Creatine?
We know that many people don’t like taking pills or having to worry about measuring powders and remembering to take supplements. That’s why we’re going to talk about some of the natural ways to get creatine in your diet.
It’s important to note that creatine is mainly found in animal products, and people on plant-based diets typically find it harder to consume it without supplementation. Some of the foods richest in creatine include:
- Red meats – beef contains around 2-2.5 grams of creatine per pound making it the best possible option compared to pork or lamb.
- Poultry – chicken and turkey are also good sources of creatine, with around 0.4 grams of it per 100 grams.
- Fish – salmon and tuna have around 0.9 grams of creatine per 100 grams and are also rich in healthy omega-3 fatty acids – killing two birds with one stone
- Dairy & Eggs – those aren’t considered to be exactly powerhouses when it comes to creatine content, with around 0.1 grams per 1 litre of milk and the same amount for one egg.
When it comes to plants, there are no vegetables that have creatine content, but some fruits like the following can be considered as sources:
- Goji berries
- Dates
- Guava
- Oranges
- Kiwi
- Grapes
- Jackfruit
- Dried and fresh apricots
- Dried and fresh bananas
- Grapefruit
- Medjool dates
- Cranberries
And some others, but all of them have extremely low creatine content and will likely require you to eat kilograms of them to get an adequate amount of creatine into your system. That’s why, if you’re a vegan or vegetarian, we recommend opting for a form of supplementation that can get you around 3 mg of creatine per day.
In Conclusion
Creatine is one the best supplements you can take, regardless of whether you’re just starting your fitness journey or you’ve been training for a while and are looking for improvements.
Its effects have been scientifically proven countless times, and consuming it is surely going to deliver results, both in the gym and outside of it. Hopefully, this article was beneficial for those of you looking for alternatives to supplementation, and you find way other, more natural ways to get creatine in your system.
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