Can a Healthy Diet Affect Your Height?
Monica Reinagel, MS, LD/N, CNS
Ask the Diva: Can a Healthy Diet Make Kids Grow Taller?
Q. I am 16 years old and 4 foot, 9 inches tall. Any tips on how I can increase my height?
Answer. Barring severe, prolonged malnutrition (which I’m hoping is not the case!), your height is determined primarily by your genes. By age 16, you will have already done most of your growing. However, it’s not uncommon for girls to keep growing (very slowly) through their late teens and early twenties. I was actually an inch taller at age 25 than I was at 16. (Then again, I have fairly “tall genes”.) To eke every vertical centimeter out of your genetic potential, be sure to eat a nutritious diet with sufficient protein and calcium. Beyond that, however, I’m afraid that there’s no special diet or food that can help you grow taller.
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About the Author
Monica Reinagel is a board-certified licensed nutritionist, author, and the creator of one of iTunes’ most highly ranked health and fitness podcasts. Her advice is regularly featured on the TODAY show, Dr. Oz, NPR, and in the nation’s leading newspapers, magazines, and websites. Do you have a nutrition question? Call the Nutrition Diva listener line at 443-961-6206. Your question could be featured on the show.