Creatine and the ketogenic diet :
Creatine is a kind of amino acid that is found in muscles and in parts of the human brain and this is where the link between a keto diet and creatine establishes. Workout and being active on a keto diet is extremely important and has to be done at all costs. Creatine is a substance that provides enough energy and accelerates your keto processes, for example, entering the state of ketosis. Creatine has an immense role to play in adding up skeletal muscle glycogen that assists every person who follows a low carb diet i.e a keto diet [3].
Benefits of creatine on a keto diet :
Creatine on a keto diet has hundreds of benefits that might not be possible to enlist. The most important and relevant benefits of creatine have been enlisted below.
- Creatine provides strength and builds muscle mass. It also increases stamina and improves performance timings. Creatine assists a person who is being active for longer times
- It enhances physical abilities and provides power to do a workout on a keto diet
- In addition to this, another striking benefit of creatine is that it increases the storage capacity of muscles and let them store nutrients for longer times so they can be used as per the need.
- Moreover, it improves overall capacity and performance on a keto diet. When glucose levels drop, the body turns to glycogen stored in muscles to meet energy requirements. Glycogen is then converted into glucose and used for energy purposes. Creatine is the key element that increases glycogen in muscles in the first place.
- Sleep deprivation is another problem faced by people who follow a keto diet. Creatine plays its role in such a situation as well. It assists people who are sleep deprived and helps them take better control of their sleep and its timings
- Besides all this, it also enhances memory and makes it sharp
Potential dangers of taking creatine on a keto diet :
Creatine is beneficial and healthy but when it is taken excessively, it becomes a liability and has the potential of causing some troubles. Let us take a look into this matter [2].
- As it causes strain on kidneys therefore it puts at risk the well being of kidneys
- Creatine is also seen causing gastrointestinal issues but not in everyone. This side effect of a keto diet is relative. Around 5 to 7% of people who consume creatine report these issues. It happens either when you take more than the recommended dose of creatine or you take it with an empty stomach without having eaten anything.
- Some people report that creatine made them gain weight. This might be true in the sense that it builds up muscle mass. However, following a loose dose formula can fix this problem and can stop you from gaining additional weight.
- It causes a sensation of heat sinking and heart pounding accompanied by fluttering in the chest part of the body
- Some people with medical conditions can go through nausea, restlessness, seizures, muscle pain, and fast heart rate.
Foods rich in creatine:
We have brought together some foods that are an excellent source of creatine. There are supplements as well that provide you the amount of creatine you like but here we are going to talk about organic foods only that are rich in creatine.
Sole:
It is a kind of fish that is not difficult to find in any fish market or grocery store. Sole comes with 100 grams weight and is filled with approximately 70 calories. This fish is filled with healthy nutrients, for example, magnesium, calcium, and iron. In addition to this, it also has important vitamins like vitamin D, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12. One kg of sole fish is packed with 2 grams of creatine.
Dairy products like Egg and Milk:
It is true that dairy products are a rich source of protein and have other nutrients in a small quantity. Likewise, eggs and milk do have creatine but not in major quantities. However, it is better to have a little creatine than no creatine at all. Egg and milk could be used for this purpose because they overall make a complete diet. Egg, in particular, makes you avoid muscle catabolism. Besides providing creatine, they also load you with a fine amount of proteins that are very much needed on a keto diet. In a nutshell, this makes one complete package for a keto diet.
Chicken:
Chicken is probably one of the best sources of creatine. In one hundred grams of chicken meat, approximately 400 mg of creatine are packed. Besides having creatine, chicken also gives you a fair amount of niacin. Niacin is a kind of vitamin B that assists brain functioning and helps in preventing cancer. Moreover, as compared to other meats, chicken has very low levels of cholesterol.
Tuna:
Tuna has a wide range of nutrients in it for example omega 3, phosphorus, vitamins (B3, B12, B6), vitamin D, vitamin E, selenium, and magnesium. Since our focus is on creatine so the estimated amount of creatine in 453 grams of tuna is around 4.5 grams. It makes 4 grams of creatine per 4 kg. One important thing is that always prefer fresh tuna over processed one because it has more amount of creatine as compared to the one which is canned.
Red meat:
Red meat is probably not the best source of getting creatine but it is probably one of the really fine sources for this purpose. Although a little low in creatine, it is still enriched in other nutrients that make it a perfect meal. In every pound of red meat you consume, there are approximately 4 to 5 grams of creatine. Besides this, red meat provides you a good amount of protein that is needed on a keto diet. It is also not very high in cholesterol. Zinc, iron, and vitamin B is also present in abundant quantity. These ingredients are a powerful factor in terms of improving one’s immunity.
Cod:
When you are on a keto diet and you want to bring a little bit change in the menu, without getting off the track then cod is the best thing to consume. It gives quite some grams of creatine and is keto friendly because it is loaded with proteins that are immensely required on a keto diet. Besides this, it has a fair amount of healthy nutrients, for example, vitamin A, vitamin D, minerals, Omega 3, and many more. The only thing you need to take care of is that if you are hypersensitive, drain the fish of all the salt so it may not cause you trouble.
Salmon:
Almost everyone loves salmon nowadays. On a keto diet it is good to have salmon because, in addition to giving you 4 to 5 grams of creatine per kg, salmon fish is loaded with healthy and keto friendly nutrients like vitamin D, vitamin A, vitamin B3, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, potassium, omega 3, selenium, and magnesium. Not only these nutrients are important for strong immunity but they also boost up cognitive and nervous functions.
Recommended creatine supplements on Keto Diet:
Supplements are used in place of natural and organic food to get instant and swift results. Here are some best creatine supplements for a keto diet and for general diet.
Creatine monohydrate on keto:
Creatine monohydrate is a supplement
used by a wide number of people who want to build muscles and maximize their performance in terms of strength. Creatine monohydrate is highly effective owing to the fact that it increases muscle mass, improves work capacity, and also increases creatine levels in muscles. Given here is a link to some really efficient creatine monohydrate supplements, you can get one that suits you the most [1].
Creatine capsules:
This supplement of creatine 
comes in the form of capsules. One bottle has 200 capsules. This supplement focuses on increasing muscle size, providing strength during a workout, and also accelerates and maintains ketosis for a better and healthy weight loss.
Can I take creatine on a keto diet?
As mentioned earlier, creatine on ketosis is extremely helpful, for sure. But people are often seen asking different questions, for example, if they can take creatine on a keto diet or when should they creatine on a keto diet. Creatine consumption is not as complicated as it might seem. Taking creatine on keto around 2 to 10 grams per day is safe and healthy because it is keto-friendly and performs lots of functions that are positively linked with keto. A person can take creatine daily for up to a period of four years. Beyond this time span, creatine may not be safe to consume.
