Crazy for Creatine
Creatine isn't just for gym bros - learn how daily creatine can improve cognitive function, improve your mood, and enhance overall endurance performance.
I've been noticing something interesting lately - about 70% of the people buying creatine from The Feed are still men. Yet the research showing creatine's benefits for women is absolutely mind-blowing. Literally. While most people (including me, initially) think of creatine as just a muscle-building supplement for bodybuilders, that's like saying coffee is just for staying awake. There's so much more to the story.
Let me cut to the chase - your brain LOVES creatine. Recent research shows creatine supplementation significantly improves memory performance, information processing speed, and reduces mental fatigue. And here's the kicker: women often show even greater cognitive improvements than men. Why? Women naturally have 70-80% lower creatine stores than men. So when you supplement, you're potentially getting a bigger mental boost. This isn't just gym science - it's serious research. A 2024 meta-analysis found that creatine supplementation improved memory (by 31%) and attention time (by 31%) with women showing some of the strongest benefits. When your brain is under stress - sleep deprived, aging, or just mentally exhausted (hello end of long workout!) - creatine helps maintain cognitive performance. The Wall Street Journal recently highlighted this in their article about creatine moving beyond bodybuilding and even athletes in general. More professionals, students, and busy parents are using it daily for the mental clarity benefits alone.
Of course, the physical benefits are still incredible from better work out performance (read: more power), less soreness and faster bounce back between workouts, and improved strength. For women it is also especially beneficial during monthly hormonal fluctuations.
I'm going to help simplify this for you. You want the branded version of creatine monohydrate called Creapure - it's the gold standard produced exclusively in Germany by Alzchem Trostberg GmbH. At 99.99% purity (compared to 99.5% for generic Creatine Monohydrate), Creapure contains significantly fewer impurities like scary things called dicyandiamide and dihydrotriazine (whatever those are, but I don't want them) and it is made in a pharmaceutical-grade facility (not some factory in China).
Creapure also tends to have fewer digestive issues and better absorption. Athletes concerned about banned substances can rest easy all these Creapure options below are sport tested and The Feed Lab and Momentous versions are NSF for Sport Tested for ultimate peace of mind. The final reason I picked Creapure is that all the major studies use this version.
Here is where it gets even simpler. All Creapure is the same. So there is no reason to pay more, you can shop by price per serving and just buy the best value and how much you want (30, 60, or 90 days). Here are our Creapure options ranked by cost per serving:
The Feed Lab (NSF Sport Tested), you get 60 servings for $0.42 per serving
Momentous (NSF Sport Tested), you get 90 servings for $0.44 per serving
Gnarly, you get 90 servings for $0.61 per serving
Pillar, you get 60 servings at $0.67 per serving
Ascent, you get 45 servings at $0.67 per serving
BPN, you get 30 servings at $0.67 per serving
Since I prefer Creapure, I stick with the powder and it dissolves really well in shakes and even coffee. Although sometimes I don't have a shake, so I keep some of the Create gummies in the office and snack on those. While they aren't Creapure, they are NSF tested so I know the Creatine is clean. The gummies make your daily routine easy (and tasty). The only trap is they taste so good, two gummies is 3g of creatine, but I always want to eat more.
The research (and my experience) shows 3-5g daily is all you need. If you hear about a complicated loading phase, I would just ignore that, this is where people talk about creatine having weight gain (through water retention) during the loading phase (it goes away), but just skip the loading phase all together. It may take a week longer for it to be fully effective, but has not impact on the long term effectiveness.
What’s important is consistency. Be sure to take it everyday.
To get all our Feed Athletes started, I’m adding 15% Feed Credit on ALL creatine products today and tomorrow.
My Daily Shake Stack Since we are talking about creatine today, here is what I also "stack" with it, one scoop of SwissRX collagen, another scoop of SwissRX gut defense (if it is a chocolate shake), and right now that I'm training a lot, I also add a scoop of Podium Beta Alanine.
Cramping and more? I've been using Sucker Punch pickle juice on most of my longer runs and take it about halfway through. I can't explain exactly why it is working so well, but aside from avoiding cramping, it seems to actually relieve me of some of that aching in my legs or at least I forget about it. It is a shocking taste on purpose, it is meant to shock the nerve endings in the back of your throat. Go with the Hydrate Spicy version if you are ready for the shock, otherwise try the regular Hydrate version that also packs a punch.
Functional Gummies Beyond energy gummies, are functional gummies. I already mentioned Create Gummies that have Creatine. The other functional gummies that are trending right now are Cheribundi Tart Cherry Gummies and Focus Fuel Gummies (caffeinated and for focus - also delicious). I've been on a gummy kick and all three are great. You just can't beat a gummy that is also good for you.