Dr. Andy Galpin

That said, and again, candidly, this is what I do for my athletes, seven days or so prior to a high risk situation, a competition, something like that, a race or an event, we're going to up that dose to 20 to 30 grams for that seven days. All right. Again, one more time, when I do that, it is hard to choke down 20 grams at once. That's a handful of scoops.

That said, and again, candidly, this is what I do for my athletes, seven days or so prior to a high risk situation, a competition, something like that, a race or an event, we're going to up that dose to 20 to 30 grams for that seven days. All right. Again, one more time, when I do that, it is hard to choke down 20 grams at once. That's a handful of scoops.

And so we'll often try to get 5 to 10 grams in the morning, 5 to 10 grams at night, and split up the dosages throughout the day, simply from my practical perspective. Now, one of my favorite sayings is there are no free passes in physiology. Creatine is not perfect. It's not a panacea, and there are some potential risks. The biggest one is GI distress.

And so we'll often try to get 5 to 10 grams in the morning, 5 to 10 grams at night, and split up the dosages throughout the day, simply from my practical perspective. Now, one of my favorite sayings is there are no free passes in physiology. Creatine is not perfect. It's not a panacea, and there are some potential risks. The biggest one is GI distress.

Some people have a gas or bloating or stomach cramps at even five grams a day. So taking them to 20 or 30 may cause some serious issues. It's not that frequently reported. I've never experienced it. I can't think of a situation where I've ever had an athlete or client reported, but it is a real thing. It is pretty uncommon, but it is reported. And so you will want to pay attention to that.

Some people have a gas or bloating or stomach cramps at even five grams a day. So taking them to 20 or 30 may cause some serious issues. It's not that frequently reported. I've never experienced it. I can't think of a situation where I've ever had an athlete or client reported, but it is a real thing. It is pretty uncommon, but it is reported. And so you will want to pay attention to that.

Outside of that, there isn't really any documented problems associated, even with high dosages, 20 plus grams a day, for years. There have been studies in kids, elderly, various we'll call risky or unhealthy populations, for many, many years.

Outside of that, there isn't really any documented problems associated, even with high dosages, 20 plus grams a day, for years. There have been studies in kids, elderly, various we'll call risky or unhealthy populations, for many, many years.

You can look all across basically all those studies and you just won't find really any other adverse events outside of the possible mild or moderate GI distress. Now, if the supplement does give you GI distress or you can't afford it, don't have access to it, or for any other reason, just don't like supplements,

You can look all across basically all those studies and you just won't find really any other adverse events outside of the possible mild or moderate GI distress. Now, if the supplement does give you GI distress or you can't afford it, don't have access to it, or for any other reason, just don't like supplements,

You can theoretically get here with food, but it is admittedly very challenging, especially for those vegans and vegetarians, because the primary source of creatine from food comes from muscle or meat. The most common places of creatine in meat are gonna be things like beef, chicken, salmon, tuna, cod. And they mostly have somewhere between 400 to 600 milligrams of creatine per 100 grams of meat.

You can theoretically get here with food, but it is admittedly very challenging, especially for those vegans and vegetarians, because the primary source of creatine from food comes from muscle or meat. The most common places of creatine in meat are gonna be things like beef, chicken, salmon, tuna, cod. And they mostly have somewhere between 400 to 600 milligrams of creatine per 100 grams of meat.

Now, I know in America, you're thinking, what the hell is 100 grams? The rest of the world knows exactly what that means. But 100 grams is about three and a half ounces. A typical serving size at a restaurant is seven ounces or so. And so you can kind of double it.

Now, I know in America, you're thinking, what the hell is 100 grams? The rest of the world knows exactly what that means. But 100 grams is about three and a half ounces. A typical serving size at a restaurant is seven ounces or so. And so you can kind of double it.

In other words, beef specifically has 600 milligrams of creatine per 100 grams, but a typical serving is 200 grams, so you'd be getting 1,200 milligrams. 1,200 milligrams is also 1.2 grams, okay? Now, the average American at least eats about 350 grams or 12 ounces of meat per day. So if you did some basic math there, which would mean you're at about 2,000 milligrams or 2 grams of creatine per day.

In other words, beef specifically has 600 milligrams of creatine per 100 grams, but a typical serving is 200 grams, so you'd be getting 1,200 milligrams. 1,200 milligrams is also 1.2 grams, okay? Now, the average American at least eats about 350 grams or 12 ounces of meat per day. So if you did some basic math there, which would mean you're at about 2,000 milligrams or 2 grams of creatine per day.

So while it is possible theoretically to get all your creatine from food, it's honestly quite challenging. So supplementation just might be the better option in this case. I'd like to take a quick break and thank our sponsors. Today's episode is brought to you by AG1. AG1 is a foundational nutrition greens supplement.

So while it is possible theoretically to get all your creatine from food, it's honestly quite challenging. So supplementation just might be the better option in this case. I'd like to take a quick break and thank our sponsors. Today's episode is brought to you by AG1. AG1 is a foundational nutrition greens supplement.

That means AG1 provides a variety of vitamins, minerals, probiotics, prebiotics, and adaptogens in an easy to drink greens powder. Initially, I was very skeptical of AG1. as I am with all supplement companies, frankly.

That means AG1 provides a variety of vitamins, minerals, probiotics, prebiotics, and adaptogens in an easy to drink greens powder. Initially, I was very skeptical of AG1. as I am with all supplement companies, frankly.