I Struggled To Stay Consistent With Creatine — Until Trying This

Creatine comes with a long list of well-researched benefits: cognitive support, a mood boost, and a little extra edge in the gym.* But when I tried to become a creatine regular last year, I lasted about ten days before the packets were shoved to the back of my cabinet, forgotten between a stale package of dates and a half-used jar of collagen.

While I knew creatine offered plenty of perks, I struggled to get into the routine of taking the supplement. Most of the creatine drink mixes on the market were either unflavored, or they had an artificial flavor that lingered long after the mix was consumed. And no, even creatine gummies couldn't help me build a habit (plus research shows they're a bad choice compared to powders).

But all of that changed when I tried mindbodygreen's new creatine with taurine+ in mango tea. This tasty flavor is like a healthy take on an Arnold Palmer—an equal mix of fruity citrus and refreshing ice tea without added sugar.

Women naturally have up to 80% lower creatine stores than men—mostly due to having less total muscle mass and consuming less dietary creatine than men.

Luckily, creatine is one of the most researched supplements1 in sports nutrition, with even the International Society of Sports Nutrition's (ISSN) deeming it safe.

Most of that research centers on strength and muscle. Creatine can help enhance power and performance, while also increasing your training capacity to help push past a gym plateau.*

But the perks don't end there. While many people associate creatine with the gym bros, the natural compound is also stored in your brain to support cellular energy demands. Taking creatine can improve memory, focus, and mental fatigue (even after a terrible night's sleep).*

However, not all creatine formulas—even when they're built around creatine monohydrate. A comprehensive review on the efficacy of creatine2 found that classic creatine monohydrate still holds up as well as, or better than, newer, pricier forms marketed as "upgrades."

That finding is echoed in a broader look at creatine supplementation3 as well, and mindbodygreen has broken down the monohydrate vs. hydrochloride debate in more detail if you're curious.

So the real differentiator between products on the shelf usually isn't some fancy new molecule; it's what else is in the formula. This is where mindbodygreen's version stands out with the addition of taurine.

My problem was never the taste of plain creatine. Unflavored creatine monohydrate is famously bland and almost imperceptible when mixed into water. The actual problem was my motivation. There was no ritual with unflavored creatine, and it quickly became the easiest thing to skip on a busy morning.

I tried the workarounds everyone recommends. Dry scooping felt more like a dare than a habit I could sustain long-term. Mixing it into my morning coffee seemed efficient until the combo caused discomfort, leaving me jittery instead of energized.

I needed something I could look forward to on a busy afternoon—like creatine with taurine+ in mango tea. Because here's my little secret: I actually tried mango tea last spring when the team wanted to explore more flavor options.I became obsessed with the refreshing tea flavor, but our line-up primarily focused on fruity flavors (namely our signature raspberry).

These days, my creatine habit looks almost boringly simple, which is exactly the point. I keep a packet on my desk and mix it into my water mid-afternoon, treating it less like a supplement chore and more like the tea break I'd probably be taking anyway.

Because it's genuinely something I want to drink, I've gone two weeks without missing a single day, which is a personal record compared to every previous attempt with plain powder.

If you've quit creatine before for reasons that had nothing to do with the science, try a format you'd actually look forward to drinking. mindbodygreen's rundown of things most people won't tell you about creatine supplements is worth a read if you're still deciding—but if you're already sold, the creatine mango tea is the one I helped taste-test into existence, and it's the only version that's kept me consistent. Grab a box of stick packs, make it your afternoon tea break, and see how much easier the habit gets.