Why Protein, Creatine & Omega-3 Are The Best Supplements For Long-Term Performance
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When it comes to achieving performance for life, you can train hard, eat well, and take a variety of supplements. But if you’re not supporting your foundation with the essential nutrients your body needs to function optimally, you won’t have what you need to perform at your best.
Your foundation is built at the cellular level. Nearly every system in the body depends on how well your cells function. While factors such as sleep, stress, and movement all play a role, the nutrients your cells rely on to produce energy, repair damage, and manage inflammation are central to this foundation.
Experts consistently point to three nutrients—protein, creatine, and omega-3—as among the most impactful for long-term health, performance, and recovery. Consistently providing your body with enough of these nutrients supports critical systems throughout the body, from muscle protein synthesis and cognitive function to inflammation control and cellular energy production.
And yet, most people, even those focused on a food-first, well-balanced nutritional plan, have a hard time getting enough of these nutrients from diet alone.
In this blog, we’ll explore why these three nutrients matter so much, why many diets fall short, and how to choose the highest-quality essential nutrients to support long-term performance and health.
Why You Need Protein, Creatine, and Omega-3
To perform at your best physically, mentally, and over the long term, your body depends on a set of interconnected systems working well at the cellular level. That includes your ability to build and repair tissue, regulate inflammation, produce energy, and maintain cognitive clarity.
Protein, creatine, and omega-3 consistently stand out in performance and longevity research for their role in supporting these systems. While each has a distinct function, together they help power:
Strength and muscle health
Cognitive function and brain health
Recovery and resilience
Cellular energy and long-term health
These aren’t just nutrients for performance, they’re nutrients your cells depend on to do their job. And without consistent intake, especially when training or during periods of high stress, your performance can start to break down.
The Science Behind Each Nutrient
Protein: Structure, Repair, and Immune Support
Protein is well-known for its role in building and repairing muscle, but its impact reaches far beyond strength. As a core structural component of every cell in the body, protein also supports immune function, enables enzyme activity, and contributes to the regulation of key metabolic processes.
Creatine: Cellular Energy, Sleep, and Cognitive Performance
Creatine is an amino acid derivative that’s naturally produced in the body and stored primarily in muscle and brain tissue. While many think its primary role is to support building muscle, emerging research continues to reveal its broader impact—particularly its role in cognitive performance. Creatine has been shown to support short-term memory and mental performance. It may also help protect cognitive function during sleep deprivation, and recent research has shown numerous benefits for women.
Omega-3: Inflammation, Brain Health, and Recovery
Omega-3 fatty acids—specifically EPA and DHA—are critical fats that your body cannot produce in sufficient amounts on its own. DHA plays a key role in brain development, neural signaling, and cognitive function. EPA supports inflammatory balance, cardiovascular health, and recovery. Together, they help protect cells from stress and promote long-term resilience.
All three of these nutrients are non-negotiable for long-term performance, but getting enough through food alone can be harder than it seems, especially if you're training or have higher demands on your body and brain.
Why You Need To Supplement Protein, Creatine, and Omega-3
Even with a solid diet, it’s surprisingly difficult to get the amount of protein, creatine, and omega-3 your body needs to function at its best. These three nutrients are essential for strength, energy, recovery, and long-term health, but they’re also among the most commonly underconsumed, especially by those who are active.
Protein
Unlike fats or carbohydrates, your body doesn’t store extra protein for later use; you need to replenish it daily. The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.36 grams per pound of body weight per day. That might be enough to prevent deficiency, but it’s not nearly enough to support strength, recovery, and performance.
For active individuals, a more appropriate target is closer to 1 gram per pound of body weight per day. And while that goal is achievable, it’s not always convenient, especially if you’re busy, on the go, or don’t have the appetite for multiple high-protein meals each day.
Creatine
With creatine, the gap is even bigger. Your body naturally breaks down about 1–2% of its creatine stores each day into a waste product called creatinine, which is excreted in urine. If you don’t consistently replace that lost creatine through your diet or supplementation, your levels gradually decline and performance benefits fade.
You’d have to eat nearly two pounds of red meat or fish every day to get the 5 grams shown to support muscular performance and cognitive health.
Women also typically maintain only 70-80% of the creatine levels found in men, primarily due to lower muscle mass and different hormonal profiles.
Omega-3
Your body can’t produce Omega-3s on its own, so you need to get enough from your diet or use supplements to meet the recommended daily amounts. But even with the best intentions, most people don’t hit the mark because you’d need to eat two to three servings of fatty fish every week just to meet optimal levels of EPA and DHA.
Additionally, while plant-based sources like flax or chia seeds do provide a source of Omega-3s, your body isn’t able to efficiently convert ALA into EPA or DHA—the two forms your body actually uses to support things like inflammation regulation, brain structure, cognitive function, and long-term heart and neurological health.
Because the quantities, cost, and everyday logistics of getting enough of these nutrients through food alone can be a challenge, especially with a full schedule or specific dietary needs, this is where smart supplementation comes in.
It’s not about replacing food. It’s about bridging the gap between what your body needs and what’s realistic to get from diet alone. Protein, creatine, and omega-3 are foundational to long-term performance. Meeting your needs consistently is what helps you build strength, recover well, and stay resilient over time.
How To Choose High-Quality Supplements
Not all supplements are created equal, and when it comes to foundational nutrients like protein, creatine, and omega-3, quality matters. Look for products that use the most bioavailable forms of ingredients, are transparently sourced, and tested for purity and potency.
Here’s what to look for when choosing protein, creatine, and omega-3 supplements:
Protein
Whey Protein:
20 - 30g of protein per serving
2.5 - 3g leucine content
Whey Protein Isolate
Grass-fed, hormone-free sourcing
Plant-Based Protein:
20g of protein per serving
A complementary blend of plant-based proteins for a complete amino acid profile
Creatine
5g Creatine Monohydrate per serving and scoop size
Trademarked Creapure® or equivalent verified source
Omega-3
- Provides at least 1500 mg EPA + DHA per daily serving
Derived from sustainably sourced, small cold-water fish
Stabilized with natural antioxidants (vitamin E)
Vegan Omega-3
Derived from a sustainable and verified source
Contains at least 1000mg EPA + DHA per daily serving
Stabilized with natural antioxidants (vitamin E)
No Matter What You’re Taking, Look For This
No matter which supplement you’re choosing, a few quality standard should always hold true. Look for products made in cGMP-certified facilities and backed by trusted third-party certifications like NSF Certified for Sport® or Informed Sport. These certifications ensure that what’s on the label is exactly what’s in the bottle. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Avoid formulas with artificial sweeteners, dyes, carrageenan, or proprietary blends that make dosing unclear. And for full transparency, the best brands provide open-access Certificates of Analysis (CoAs) so you can see exactly how their products are tested for purity and potency.
The Foundation Of Performance Starts Here
When it comes to performance, there are a lot of ways to optimize. But not all of them should come first. If you’re building a supplement routine, protein, creatine, and omega-3 are the place to start.
These three nutrients aren’t just helpful, they’re essential. They support systems your body relies on every day, whether you’re training hard or simply trying to feel your best. They’re also the nutrients experts recommend dialing in before you think about adding anything else.
Because these three nutrients are so essential to your performance, we created The Momentous Three™ . It’s a complete system built around protein, creatine, and omega-3, using the right forms, trusted sourcing, and rigorous third-party testing. So you can stay consistent and confident in what you’re taking.
This is your baseline. The foundation everything else builds on. Start here and build the foundation for your performance for life.
