7 Foods High in Creatine, and Why It Matters

For decades, creatine has been a popular dietary supplement for athletic performance. Now researchers are learning that creatine supplements may provide other benefits — like stronger bones and better cognitive health. But that doesn’t mean you need to take a supplement to increase your creatine intake. 

If you’re more interested in a food-first approach, you might be wondering where and how much creatine you can get from foods alone. So let’s dive in.

What is creatine?

Creatine is similar to an amino acid — the building blocks of protein — because it contains nitrogen. Creatine gives your body energy during quick bursts of activity. 

Your kidneys, liver, and pancreas can make creatine. About 95% of your body’s creatine is stored in your muscles, ready to be used for a fast bout of energy. Your muscles, heart, and brain are the top users of creatine because of their important, high-energy jobs. 

What are the benefits of creatine?

Many people are familiar with the benefits of creatine for exercise performance and muscle strength. 

But more recently, creatine is gaining a reputation as beneficial for aging. It may help: 

• Reduce the risk of injury

• Preserve bone strength

• Improve memory and problem-solving skills

• Reduce the appearance of wrinkles

These benefits for aging are less studied, but they’re an area of active research. 

How much creatine do you need?

Creatine isn’t an essential nutrient. That’s because your body can make about half of what it needs from amino acids. The other half has to come from animal-sourced foods or a supplement. 

Your body uses about 2 g of creatine per day for energy, said registered dietician Kristen Hicks-Roof, PhD. Half of that (about 1 g) comes from food, she said, while the rest is made in your body. 

That being said, many of the studies on creatine benefits use a supplement dose higher than that — like 3 g to 5 g per day. If you’re looking to get extra creatine to benefit athletic performance or aging, you can safely take up to 5 g per day. 

7 foods high in creatine

Animal-based foods like meat and seafood have the highest levels of creatine per ounce. Dr. Hicks-Roof said that the average person in the U.S. gets about 0.70 g to 1 g per day from food. This means that you’re likely getting enough creatine from your diet. 

The amount of creatine per ounce varies by animal species, cut of meat, and cooking method. Plant-based foods don’t contain creatine. 

It’s important to note that cooking meat, seafood, and poultry to proper temperatures is critical in order to prevent foodborne illness. But overcooking can reduce the amount of creatine found in them. So, it’s helpful to know proper cooking temperatures for different types of meat. 

Below is a table of the top foods that are high in creatine.

How much creatine do you need if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding?

There’s very little research on creatine needs during pregnancy and breastfeeding. However, we know that pregnancy and breastfeeding both require more energy than usual, in terms of calories, protein, and creatine. Also, an infant needs creatine early on for growth and brain development. An important source of this is breastmilk. 

So, if you’re pregnant or nursing, you’ll need an extra 350 to 400 calories per day to cover these extra creatine needs. 

Should you take a creatine supplement?

You may want to consider a creatine supplement if you: 

• Eat little meat or seafood. 

• Follow a vegetarian or vegan diet

• Want additional creatine for aging or exercise performance 

If you want additional creatine, it’ll be hard to get the 3 g to 5 g range from foods alone. You’d have to consume multiple pounds of meat per day. And that would exceed the recommendations for calories, protein, and saturated fat. 

If you’re wondering about the type of creatine found in supplements, here’s what to know: “Creatine from food is the same compound used in supplements,” said Dr. Hicks-Roof. That makes it easier to hit the target range of the research studies mentioned above.

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Written by:

Kerry Hackworth, MS, RD, LDN

Kerry Hackworth, MS, RD, LDN, has been in the field of food and nutrition for nearly a decade. She started in corporate wellness where she provided one-on-one health coaching to clients looking to reduce health insurance premiums.

Edited by:

Katie E. Golden, MD

Katie E. Golden, MD, is a board-certified emergency medicine physician and a medical editor at GoodRx.

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