Diet for Lowering Creatine Levels

Creatine is a naturally occurring substance in the body that is most often sold as an over-the-counter supplement used to build additional muscle. Thus, although most individuals interested in competitive athletics or sports are looking to maximize their body's creatine levels, certain individuals might also want to lower their natural creatine levels. Fortunately, this can be accomplished through some simple dietary manipulations to remove the primary sources of creatine from your diet.

Anti-Creatine Basics

• Creatine is normally obtained through consumption of protein sources such as meats and seafood, so removing or limiting these protein sources should be your primary goal when attempting to lower creatine levels. Understand, however, that since protein is the building block for all your cells and tissues, your body will require some minimal level of protein to perform basic functions. With that in mind, you cannot completely eliminate all protein sources---be sure to consume at least 40 to 60 grams of protein per day. To give you an idea of how much that is, a 4-ounce serving of meat generally has between 20 and 25 grams of protein. Ideally, split your protein intake evenly between all your daily meals to avoid overloading your body at any one time.

Rounding Out the Diet

• Eliminating protein sources means you will have to substitute calories from either carbohydrates or fat if you don't want to lose weight while on your creatine-reducing diet. So remember to increase your consumption of other foods proportionally to avoid accidentally shedding pounds while attempting to rid your body of creatine. Consuming extra carbs and fat is not a license to eat junk food, however. Be sure to consume the vast majority of your carbs from whole grains, fruits and vegetables while reducing or eliminating your consumption of sugars, processed foods and white-flour items. Likewise, keep your fat consumption strictly confined to healthy monounsaturated fats while eschewing saturated and trans fats as much as possible. Healthy sources of monounsaturated fats include almonds, walnuts, sesame oil and olive oil.