If you’re into fitness, then you’re going to know that creatine is essential if you want to enhance your performance. You can build muscle mass and improve recovery time between workouts. And now, there are vegan creatine supplements available.
Best Creatine Picks
Typically found in red meat, creatine is a great ingredient to help boost your performance in the gym. Humans produce their own creatine, but will sometimes benefit from an external source. The only natural food source of creatine is animal products, so this is where vegan creatine supplements come in very handy.
Luckily, there are a number of different vegan creatine supplements available. We’re going to take a look at the different supplements on offer, how you can use them, and the benefits they can bring. Take a look right now.
Taking a more detailed look into these creatine supplements
This supplement contains Creatine Monohydrate. It can help improve your performance when working out. When you perform high-intensity exercise, your muscles need energy, and this is where creatine can help. This brand is really great in smaller doses of around 3 g per day. It is important that you do not go over the recommended daily dose. This brand is available as an unflavored powder, so it can be mixed with juice or plant-based milk. However, this works particularly well with the Vegan Protein Blend from the same brand which provides 22 g of protein per serving to supplement the creatine. This brand does make sure everything is pure, but it is manufactured in a facility that handles soy, egg, gluten, and milk, so it’s best to be aware if you have allergies.
This well-researched creatine supplement is one of the most popular. It contains Creatine Monohydrate, which is the purest form of creatine you can get. Depending on your gender and weight, we recommend taking 3 to 5 g of creatine when you complete each workout. And, you should continue to take it on rest days if you want to maintain your creatine levels. This supplement is designed to increase performance and can be taken at any time of day. It’s also great for mixing with a shake or even in porridge or plant milk. Better still, it’s available in a number of flavors including unflavored, vanilla, blue raspberry, mixed berry, and apple and lime. However, be aware that only the unflavored powder is unsweetened. The brand is also eco-friendly with 87% of the pouches compostable at home.
Creatine has been proven to boost performance across the board. This Double Wood brand product has 100% creatine for a really strong boost. The brand takes great care to ensure that each batch is always up to standard and follows the Informed Sport testing regime in order to do so. In short, it puts product safety as a high priority. Best taken 30 minutes before exercise for a boost, or after exercise for recovery, it can be added to your meal or drink. It’s particularly good mixed with some of Double Wood’s other sports supplements. With 100 servings per tub, this is going to last you, and the price point is relatively low. It’s also unflavored, so you can add it to your favorite food without being concerned about unpleasant tastes.
Klean is great if your sport means you need high-energy bursts. With this creatine, you can reach any of your sporting objectives more easily. This supplement can also be used between workouts as well. Using it on rest days can really help your muscles synthesize new protein for better recovery and muscle strength. Each serving offers a big boost too as it contains 5 g of pure creatine monohydrate. For the best results with this supplement, it should be taken with food or drink that has carbohydrates. The supplement powder has been verified under the NSF Certified for Sport program which means that there are no athletic-banned substances. You’re not going to get anything you’re not supposed to with this supplement.
This Protein Works Creatine supplement has one of the highest concentrations. With 5000 mg creatine per 5 g serving, your muscles, and workout will get the boost they need. This brand is popular with professional athletes and teams, so you know that there aren’t any banned substances in the powder too. It’s best for high-intensity exercise, boosting your energy levels for a better performance. Like other brands, this is 99.9% pure and is made with ultra-fine 200 mesh filtration technology. As such, the powder is finer than most making it even easier to dissolve in water or a plant-based milkshake. Not only is it available in unflavored, but there are also Berry Blitz and Orange Burst flavors too.
What is creatine and how is it made?
Creatine is found in muscles and the brain. It’s an amino acid. And, it is responsible for maintaining healthy energy levels within the body. Specifically, it actually increases the production of ATP energy. This is an energy source in your cells that is tapped when you do high-intensity workouts. This means that creatine supplements can actually help boost performance and health in general.
All of us actually produce creatine naturally. Typically, our body can produce around 1 g of creatine each day. It’s usually gained from animal foods such as red meat and fish. However, for those on a vegan diet or athletes aiming to build body mass, a creatine supplement can be the boost they need.
Luckily, because we need creatine, it’s actually one of the most researched supplements out there. Importantly though, there are still two types of creatine. Regular creatine, as mentioned, comes from animal products. But, there is vegan creatine too.
This comes from plant-based proteins such as nuts, seeds, seaweed, and legumes. This vegan creatine supplement is good for anyone looking to improve their performance or increase muscle mass.
Do vegans need creatine?
Yes, vegans do need creatine especially if they are planning on working out a lot and want to build muscle. In fact, it’s a necessity for vegans who are looking to build muscle mass. Actually, it’s a necessity for anyone who is building muscle mass to take creatine.
Of course, it’s important to point out that it’s not just for building muscle, but also for aiding recovery. Even if you’re just doing intense workouts, a vegan creatine supplement is worth considering.
In fact, vegans can benefit from creatine even more than omnivores can. This is because vegans tend to have reduced muscle creatine stores compared to omnivores. The low amount we create naturally is simply not enough for muscle saturation. And, as vegans don’t really supplement these levels in their diet, there’s a bigger reduction in their creatine storage.
This means that vegans have more room for creatine muscle saturation. With a creatine supplement, vegans will actually be able to effectively saturate their muscles more — even more than an omnivore. This means there is the possibility of greater gains in high-intensity training when taking this supplement.
What are the benefits of a vegan creatine supplement?
As mentioned before, the main benefit of a vegan creatine supplement is to increase muscle strength. It also helps the muscle cells produce more energy as well as supporting other functions in the muscles.
This supplement can also increase the speed of muscle growth. And, there are some studies that suggest it can help with Parkinson’s disease.
Of course, let’s also not forget that by using a vegan creatine supplement, no animals are harmed at all.
Vegan creatine vs creatine — what’s the difference?
Technically, there is no difference when it comes to a creatine supplement. This is because creatine is synthesized chemically when it comes as a supplement. When in powder form, all creatine supplements are actually going to be vegan.
Synthetic creatine is created by combining cyanamide and sarcosine. These are actually not suitable for consumption in their separate forms, but, when combined, then the compound is edible.
All creatine works in the same way. Even this synthetic form for vegans. It enters the body and, in muscle cells, it binds with a phosphate molecule to become creatine phosphate, which is an important part of the ATP energy cycle.
How much creatine should I take?
This really depends on your activity level, exercise goals, gender, and weight. Generally, you should be taking 3 to 5 g of creatine per day. However, you can calculate it as around 14 mg of creatine per pound of body weight.
Depending on whether you are really trying to bulk up, you can take more per day. For instance, some workout regimes recommend taking as much as 20 g of creatine per day, but only for a limited time. This should then be followed by a reduced, standard dose of 3 to 5 g per day.
For most, no more than 5 g per day is sufficient. However, if you are larger than the average person, or haven’t noticed any change when using 5 g of creatine per day, you can increase this to 10 g per day.
Before taking creatine, it’s best to consult with your coach or workout instructor to determine what is the best dose for you.
Does creatine have side effects?
Yes, there are some possible side effects when taking creatine. These include weight gain, muscle cramps, and strains or pulls. There are some more severe side effects too. These include bloating, dehydration, dry mouth, hair loss, and kidney and liver damage. However, these more extreme side effects tend to be a result of taking too much creatine, more than the recommended dose. As such, you should always abide by the dosage given on the creatine supplement you are taking.
Generally though, if taken properly, there should be no side effects to taking a vegan creatine supplement. This is because this supplement is one of the most researched and tested. It is considered safe. Typically, the more severe side effects have not been reported. They are just possible on larger doses.
Summary
If you’re into working out and want to build your muscle strength and size, then a vegan creatine supplement is the way to go. There are a number of top brands out there, and we’ve listed some of the best so that you can supplement your workouts right away.