The Guns Show! :)

I work at a gym and I am addicted to working out and the feeling of completing a great workout!  I absolutely love it. :D   

I hear and see so many people using creatine as a work out supplement. Being a nutritionist I have made it a point to find the natural sources to all of the supplements out there. I personally would rather eat real protein then buy and use a whey protein powder, so I looked into creatine as well. I am surprised that I did not write a blog back then about what I found. To remedy that, this is that blog. 

Creatine is an amino acid complex. Meaning that it is created with amino acids. Specifically, Arginine, Glycine, and Methionine. Using these 3 amino acids that can be found in your food, your liver uses them to create creatine.  Creatine helps hydrate and saturate your skeletal muscles, it has been shown to super hydrate your muscles using cell volumization; it literally draws water into the muscle cells. With your muscles super hydrated, it gives you the "pump" needed in the gym.  The extra hydration also allows the lactic acid to disperse easily so that recovery is quicker. 

Personal trainers that I have talked to tell you to supplement with 5-10grams within 30minutes of a work out.  But Body builders have told me that for the first 3-5 days you need to get 20-25grams a day in 4 doses and fully saturate your body in creatine, then maintain with 5-10 grams a day.  But both have said that your body will go through a spike then plateau so it is a good idea to do your load days, then 6 weeks of maintain doses, then take at least a week off. Then load and go again.   I have not tried this personally, but I am thinking about doing it to help with my goals for the 90day challenge at work. I will check back and let you know how it goes. 

Now, for the nutrition part of it:
Where do these amino acids come from??  They are naturally derived and our body makes creatine on its own without the supplementing, so how could you increase creatine without a powder?

Foods high in creatine are: 
The most abundant dietary source of creatine is the meat from wild game. Commercially raised meat contains lower levels of creatine due to the inactivity of the animals. The meats highest in creatine include beef, cod, herring, pork, salmon and tuna. Trace amounts of creatine are also found in milk, cranberries and shrimp.

But if you want to help your body create creatine, then you can try and up your intake of the 3 amino acids needed for your liver to produce its own levels of creatine.




Arginine:

Spanish peanuts top the list, Close behind are peanuts; almonds; dried sunflower seeds and kernels; English walnuts, hazelnuts, raw lentils, Brazil nuts, cashews, and pistachios,.
Other plant sources include flax seed, raw kidney beans, all varieties, pecans,  raw French beans, raw green soybeans, tofu, extra firm, and whole-grain wheat flour,










Glycine:
The best food sources of glycine are those rich in protein, such as meat, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs and beans. Some of the most concentrated food sources of glycine are beef, chicken, pork, ostrich and spirulina seaweed.

Methionine:

High methionine foods include egg whites, Parmesan cheese, sesame and sunflower seeds, Brazil nuts, butter, cheese, mollusks and cod.

Important to remember is that creatine with pull water into your muscles from your body, so you have to keep your water intact up not just while you are working out, but after as well.  Hydration is key to a healthy body. :)

Happy Pumping!! :)

Have a great Monday! 

Thanks to livestrong.com for my food sources and some creatine information. :)