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Creatine is one of the most researched and widely used supplements in the fitness world. It has a plethora of benefits, when used correctly, to enhance athletic performance. Creatine, a naturally occurring compound produced by the body, is usually stored in the skeletal muscles. It plays a key role in energy production in the form of the ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate), refuelling depleted energy stores. Creatine, when combined with heavy resistance training, helps enhance physical performance and retain muscle mass. It functions as an energy source and has significant effects on recovery, injury prevention, and performance. Creatine is found naturally in dietary sources such as chicken, beef, pork, meat and fish and is also available in supplement form. Going forward, we will discuss these natural sources of creatine-rich foods in detail.
What is Creatine?
Creatine, a natural compound made up of three amino acids: L-arginine, glycine, and L-methionine, is a popular performance enhancer among athletes, fitness enthusiasts and sportspersons. Furthermore, creatine is naturally produced in the human body and mainly stored in the skeletal muscles. The rest is stored in organs like the liver, kidney, and brain. It is synthesised by the body mostly in the kidney, liver, and pancreas. It can be consumed via creatine-rich food sources such as red meat and seafood.
Benefits of Creatine for Your Workouts
1. Enhances athletic performance:
By providing energy to the muscles and stimulating muscle growth, creatine can help increase the production of phosphocreatine, replenishing energy through ATP and maximising overall athletic performance.
2. Contributes to rapid energy production:
Increased energy supply to the muscles to fuel them during short burst of intense exercising utilises more ATP than produced, making creatine an important component for constant energy production since it regenerates ATP by increasing phosphocreatine stores. Creatine also increases muscle glycogen stores, which during short intense exercise stimulates glucose uptake providing an instant source of energy.
3. Improves muscle growth:
One of the best creatine benefits is that it helps enhance muscle mass and growth by stimulating muscle protein synthesis and reducing the breakdown of muscle protein.
4. Enhances strength and power:
Creatine helps improve intramuscular contractions, which helps increase muscle strength, power and endurance. It is useful during exercises requiring short bursts of energy and expediting the recovery process.
5. Cell Hydration:
Creatine has a hydrating effect on muscle cells, resulting in increased muscle water content and volume, which reduces the risk of muscle fatigue and improves performance.
How Much Creatine Do You Need?
Recommended Intake:
An adult requires an average ~ 3-5 g/ day of creatine depending upon factors such as exercise intensity, body weight, and underlying kidney and liver conditions. Consuming 3-5 g creatine for the general maintenance phase is sufficient while those following a loading phase may increase the quantity. The loading phase includes consuming higher doses of creatine divided into 4-5 small doses distributed throughout the day. Lower creatine requirements can be fulfilled by dietary intake through creatine-rich foods.
Food vs. Supplementation:
The best creatine-rich foods are mostly animal-based foods such as meat, poultry, and fish. Consuming creatine-rich foods from natural sources can be a difficult task for those following a vegan or vegetarian dietary pattern.
In contrast, dietary supplements containing purified creatine, known as creatine monohydrate, can be consumed easily. A safe amount of 3-5 g can be taken daily. Creatine supplements are available in various forms such as pills, tablets, powders, capsules and soft gels.
14 Best Creatine-Rich Foods
1. Salmon:
Salmon is a great source of creatine and contains approximately 3-4.5 g per raw kilogram. This fish is also rich in omega-3 which helps lower the levels of inflammation in the body.
2. Herring:
Herring, a staple seafood in many cultures, is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients such as protein and vitamin D. Herring contains the highest amount of creatine compared to other foods. It has approximately 6.5- 8 g of creatine per raw kilogram.
3. Mackerel:
Although it is not as dense in creatine as herring, mackerel also contains a decent amount of 2-4 g of creatine per kg to fulfil the creatine requirements.
4. Cod:
This fish, also known as codfish or codling, gives approx 3 grams of creatine per kilogram in raw form.
5. Tuna:
Raw tuna contains 4 g of creatine per kg. As it is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, it can also support heart health.
6. Sardines:
Another popular type of fish packed with nutrients is sardine, which contains approximately 3-4 g of creatine.
7. Beef:
It is categorised under red meats and 1 kg of raw beef cut provides around 2-4 g of creatine.
8. Lamb:
It is also a type of red meat that contains substantial amounts of creatine - approximately 3-5 g creatine per kg.
9. Pork:
It contains approximately 5 g of creatine per kg of pork meat.
10. Rabbit Meat:
Rabbit meat is not a popular delicacy and is not as commonly consumed as the other varieties of meats. However, 1 kg of raw rabbit meat contains around 3.4 g of creatine.
11. Turkey:
It provides around 3.5 g of creatine per kg. Turkey is low in calories and rich in protein, making it a good option to incorporate into your daily diet.
12. Chicken:
Known to have high amounts of protein, it also contains 160 to 202 mg of creatine per raw hundred grams of chicken.
13. Parmesan cheese:
Dairy sources contain less creatine than animal meats and seafood but can still be a viable option for vegetarians. Parmesan cheese is said to contain approximately 2- 2.5 g of creatine per 100 g serving. However, more research is needed to substantiate these figures.
14. Dairy Products:
Dairy products like milk and yoghurt are not as concentrated with creatine as seafood, poultry and meat and can provide approximately 0.1 g of creatine per kilogram.
How to Incorporate These Top Creatine-Rich Foods Into Your Diet
- Including the above-mentioned best creatine-rich foods in your diet can help you build muscles, resulting in better performance.
- Aiming for 1-2 servings of animal-based foods with creatine as a part of main meals may prove beneficial. Beef, pork, salmon, and herring along with a serving of tuna and chicken - which also provide moderate amounts of creatine - can help support muscle function and athletic performance without overloading the body.
- Animal-based foods are not only a rich source of creatine but also provide various other nutrients. For example, sardine fish is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids that help manage cholesterol levels, supporting heart health, whereas chicken and other types of meats are rich in protein, which is a critical nutrient for enhancing exercise performance and expediting recovery. Snacking on healthy non-fried meats and non-veg salads can help maintain creatine and protein levels.
- For vegetarians or vegans, creatine supplementation may be necessary, as plant-based foods rarely contain creatine in sufficient amounts.
Conclusion
In conclusion, creatine-rich foods can only provide a limited amount of creatine for those requiring it for maintenance. Those aiming at enhancing their athletic or sports performance might require additional supplementation support. Hence, it is important to incorporate creatine supplementation into your diet along with natural sources of creatine such as beef, pork, salmon, and tuna to boost strength, muscle performance, and recovery but this should be done under the supervision of a healthcare provider. Vegetarians and vegans (people on plant-based diets) have limited dietary options rich in creatine, as it is usually available in animal tissues. While plant-based foods with creatine contain negligible amounts of creatine and are practically not available, so supplementation is beneficial for vegan athletes. Those who are vegetarian may still get some minimal amounts of creatine from milk, curd, cheese and nuts. While natural creatine food sources are beneficial, creatine supplements are a time and cost efficient and effective alternative for anyone looking to optimise their overall physical performance.