Is creatine vegetarian? Yes, but read the label

Is creatine vegetarian? It is one of the most common questions I get from vegetarian clients, and quite often from their parents. The name sounds like it comes from meat, and in nature it mostly does. But the creatine you buy in a tub is not taken from meat or fish. It is made in a factory.

Here is the plain answer, what to check on the label, and the honest truth about creatine in vegetarian food.

Is creatine vegetarian? The short answer

• •The powder: yes. Creatine monohydrate supplements are made synthetically, usually from two simple compounds called sarcosine and cyanamide. No animal is involved.
• •Usually vegan too, as long as the product is plain creatine with nothing else added.
• •Capsules: check. Some capsule shells are made of gelatin, which comes from animals.
• •Flavoured mixes and blends: check. Extra ingredients can change the answer.

Where creatine comes from in nature

Creatine is a natural compound stored mostly in your muscles, where it helps supply quick energy for short, hard efforts like a heavy set or a sprint. You get it from two places:

• •Your own body. Your liver and kidneys make some creatine every day from three amino acids: arginine, glycine and methionine. Everyone makes it, vegetarian or not.
• •Food. Meat and fish are the main dietary sources.

That second point is why vegetarians usually have lower creatine stores in their muscles than people who eat meat, and why they tend to respond well when they start supplementing. I explain that in detail in creatine for vegetarians.

Creatine-rich vegetarian foods: the honest answer

If you search for creatine-rich vegetarian foods, you will find long lists of nuts, seeds and beans. Most of those lists are wrong. Plant foods contain essentially no creatine. Milk and dairy contain only small traces, and eggs very little. There is no vegetarian food you can eat in normal amounts that comes close to a 3 to 5 g supplement dose.

What food can do is give your body the raw material to make its own. Enough protein from dal, paneer, curd, soya, chana and milk supplies the amino acids your body uses. That supports your normal daily production, but it does not raise your stores the way a supplement does. For a refresher on hitting your protein, see this protein chart for Indian vegetarian foods.

How to check if your creatine is vegetarian in India

• •Look for the green veg mark. Packaged food and supplements in India carry a green mark for vegetarian and a brown mark for non-vegetarian. Plain creatine should carry the green one.
• •Read the capsule line. If you buy capsules, look for "veg capsule", "HPMC" or "cellulose". A gelatin capsule is not vegetarian.
• •Vegans, read the ingredients too. The green mark allows milk products, so a flavoured blend with milk-based ingredients can still carry it.
• •Imported tubs may not carry the Indian mark at all. Look for a "suitable for vegetarians" or "vegan" statement and read the ingredient list.
• •Choose plain creatine monohydrate. One ingredient. "Micronised" only means a finer powder that mixes more easily. It is the same thing.
• •Skip blends. Pre-workout mixes and "creatine stacks" add caffeine and other ingredients you may not want, and make the veg question harder to answer.
• •Buy from the brand or an authorised seller. Fake and diluted supplements are a real problem. Check for a batch number and an FSSAI licence number on the label, and prefer brands that publish independent lab tests.

How much to take

The form with the most research behind it is creatine monohydrate, at 3 to 5 g a day. Take it every day, rest days included, with water, milk, curd or your breakfast. Timing does not matter much, and you do not need a loading phase. Expect the scale to go up a little in the first couple of weeks. That is water stored in the muscle, not fat.

Creatine is most useful if you strength train. If you are only just starting at the gym, get your training and protein steady first. My gym for beginners guide covers the first month, and do vegetarians need protein powder covers the other supplement people ask about.

Who should check with a doctor first

• •Anyone with kidney disease or reduced kidney function, including people whose diabetes or blood pressure has affected their kidneys.
• •Pregnant or breastfeeding women, because there is much less research in these groups.
• •Anyone on regular medicines for a long-term condition, so your doctor knows everything you take.

One practical tip. Creatine can raise creatinine, a marker in blood tests that doctors use to estimate kidney function. Tell your doctor you take creatine before a routine blood test so the result is read correctly. And never stop or change a prescribed medicine because of a supplement. Work it out with your doctor.

If you want to know whether creatine is worth it for your training, and where your protein is falling short, that is part of what coaching covers.