Fit Height Course

Growing Taller Nutrition

Minerals

It is widely accepted throughout the medical and scientific communities that the food we eat has a huge impact on our growth rate as humans. This has lead to a series of studies in to grow taller diets and growing taller nutrition as a whole. Not only is it the type of food that we eat which makes a difference, but also the quality and quantity of the food which has an effect also. Over the last few years the food we eat has been recognized as playing a crucial part in our growth, including that of our height! This means that the right type of food needs to be consumed if we are to grow to our full height potential. As with most balanced diets, there are 6 food nutrient groups which we need to make sure is included in our diets if we are to grow taller naturally through nutrition. All of these play an individual part in both growth, and in keeping us generally healthy and illness free.

·         Minerals

·         Vitamins

·         Proteins

·         Carbohydrates

·         Fats

·         Water

During this 7 part series we will address and talk about each of the above elements, and explain how they can be used to our advantage. We will start off at the beginning and talk about the importance of Minerals.

What’s Important About  ?

 

An adequate supply of minerals is a crucial component of a healthy balanced diet. Minerals are used in just about every function our body undertakes from repairing itself to developing and fuelling our organs and muscles too. Minerals also play a very important role in making sure that our growth rate is at its optimum level, but to do this we need to consume the full range of minerals our bodies will need. Another secondary reason why we need to include minerals in our grow taller nutrition plan is because our bones contain a large percentage of minerals, so a lack of these could lead to compromised bone growth.

So What About Calcium?

Calcium is a very special mineral and it can be argued that in the case of grow taller diets, Calcium is possibly the most important mineral of all. It is actually a very abundant mineral found in many parts of your body from your bones to your hair and even your fingernails too! The only problem is that as humans, our bodies are unable to produce Calcium for ourselves, so we are required to consume the Calcium levels we need. Thankfully that is quite a simple task as long as we maintain a healthy and balanced diet. This is why a diet which is rich in calcium is critical to maintain a healthy and steady bone growth. It also helps to strengthen you bones even after you think you have stopped growing.

You can think of your body as a large bank, and the Calcium you have inside you is the savings in this bank. If your body does not consume enough calcium during the day, it will make a calcium withdrawal from your bodies ‘bank’. We do not want this to happen because it means less calcium is available for your bones. If on the other hand you consume plenty of calcium during the day, your body will deposit the left over calcium in to the bank, which benefits your bones! If you tend to have a diet that is always low in calcium, over time the body’s calcium bank will run out and your bones can begin to grow weak and brittle. This leads to easier breakages and means your body cannot repair and fix itself as easy. This is a problem in older people as they naturally age, however if you maintain a high calcium diet your bones will continue to become more dense until the age of about 30! You can supplement your diet with calcium products, but a well balanced diet is always a better option.

Next It’s Phosphorous.

Phosphorus is another mineral that is found in huge abundance throughout the human body. This is probably because the vast majority of it is combined with calcium in your body to create the compound calcium phosphate, which is the source of your bones strength. It also has a secondary function which is just as important to your grow taller diet. Calcium phosphate carries very important information about cell regeneration as it forms part of your DNA. As it often works hand in hand with the calcium in your body, it is a sensible idea to make sure you also have a high intake of phosphorus rich foods in your diet. Fortunately for us, this time phosphorous is quite easy to include in our daily diets as it is found in a wide range of produce such as dairy produce and meat, fish and even in vegetables too. However, phosphorus does have a negative side to it too. It can in large quantities interfere with your bodies abilities to use calcium. One item of your diet that could lead to this sort of issue is soda. Most soft drinks do contain a high level of phosphorus, so while you do want to keep an equal level of calcium and phosphorus, you do not want to overload you body with a huge imbalance of it in your grow taller nutrition plan.

Vitamins

 

Vitamins are basically organic substances which are essential for our growth and development at every stage during our life. It is therefore really important that we make sure we are consuming an adequate level of vitamins throughout our daily lives. Vitamins are essential to us and unfortunately our bodies are unable to create these sort of substances ourselves, so if we want to grow taller, we really need to have enough vitamins for our body to develop and our bones to grow. There are two primary types of vitamins which we should be including in our diets. These are basically fat soluble vitamins and water soluble vitamins. Each has its own characteristics which we will briefly cover here

1) Fat-soluble vitamins – These are the vitamins which we normally take in through eating meats and other associated products made from animals or animal extracts such as fats and dairy produce too. The main fat soluble minerals we should be concerned with are vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E and finally vitamin K. These particular vitamins are transported throughout your system in fats, and if you have an excess of this, your body will store it in your fatty tissues or liver. This method of storing fat soluble vitamins means you have a reserve and do not need to take them in on a daily basis.
2) Water-soluble vitamins – Again, these vitamins are also found in meats and fish but they are also found in most vegetables and fruits. Unlike fat soluble minerals they are transported in water instead of fats which means it is not possible for your body to store these vitamins as your system will naturally flush them through in your waste products like urine.

How Can I Get All These Vitamins From My Diet?

 

It is not too difficult to achieve an adequate level of vitamins in your daily diets. Most of the foods we know to be good for us contain high levels of vitamins, especially those foods such as green vegetables and fruits. Some other types of foods are now manufactured to also help, such as fortified breakfast cereal which contains added vitamins too. However the conventional techniques used to mass produce our foods these days have the effect of leeching vitamins from them. This means it is even more important when trying to grow taller to eat fresh produce that is not packaged or has not been processed and placed on a store shelf. Make sure the variety of food you consume is varied too, including fish and grains which are healthy for your most important organ, the heart.

Proteins

 

It is widely agreed that proteins are the foundation building block for all life. As humans our bodies use protein for just about every process that takes place in our systems. You will probably have noticed that regular gym users develop larger muscles than the average person?
Well did you also know that it is not only hard work that produces these muscles?
For muscles to grow larger and stronger the body must repair and rebuild them to a bigger size than they previously were, so can you guess what the body will use to do this?
Yes, that’s correct, protein!

Weight lifters and bodybuilders have to consume enormous amounts of protein to help their bodies to increase in size and muscle density. So, just like any other development that may take place in your body, protein must be an important part of your grow taller nutrition plan! Apart from the usual vitamins, minerals and fats, your body will required elevated levels of protein to help facilitate the growth you require to become taller. There are essentially two types of protein which our bodies will require to do this. The first is a called a ‘complete protein’ and the second is know as an ‘incomplete protein’. There is a difference between the two and it is important you understand this, so here is a brief explanation of them:
1) Complete Protein  - A complete protein contain a full quota of essential amino acids which are necessary for your body to rebuild tissues. These are normally found in food types such as animal meats, fish, eggs and cheeses. Basically any organic food derived from a living creature is likely to contain complete proteins.
2) Incomplete Protein  - An incomplete protein is therefore a protein which does not have a complete quota of amino acids. These proteins lack the capability to be used independently to rebuild and develop your body. Although it can be combined with other proteins to complete the chain and be very useful to your body. This type of protein is normally found in pulses such as nuts, beans and seeds too.

The best foods for complete proteins for your grow taller nutrition diet are those complete proteins which can be found in fish, eggs, milk, and lean meats. These foods normally contain most of the complete 20 amino acids, as well as the 8 essential ones which cannot be synthesized by the human body. Another one of the most effective proteins you should be consuming is soy protein. This is now more widely available than ever in stores and can come as a replacement for products such as corned beef or hamburgers. Try soy milk, nuts, and soy flour. If you like the idea of consuming a protein shake to increase your intake, try this recipe: mix 2-5 boiled egg whites, 1 to 2 bananas, 3-6 strawberries, 1 teaspoon of vanilla in blender at high speed. You can add soy protein or milk or even vegetables. Try different proportions to match your taste. Drink this shake once or twice a day between meals or after exercise, and a smaller shake right before you go to bed.

Amino Acid	Food Source	Brenefits
Arginine	Brown rice,Carob proteins,Chocolate, Nuts,Oatmeal,Popcorn, Raisins, Raw cereals,Sesame seeds, Sunflower seeds, Whole-wheat products	This is main building block of proteins used in the body and also stimulates the body to release human growth hormone too.
L-Lysine	Cheese, Eggs, Fish, Lima beans, Milk, Potatoes, Red meat, Soy products, Yeast	This is another essential building block used in the body. It also aids the body to produce antibodies and promotes healing and repair to damaged tissues.
Tyrosine	Almonds, Avocados, Bananas, Cheese, Cottage cheese, Lima beans, Non-fat dried milk, Peanuts, Pickled herring, Pumpkin seeds, Sesame seeds	Again, this is another building block for protein used in the body. Do not take this without medical supervision as increased levels of chemicals such as nor epinephrine, dopamine and epinephrine may be found in the blood.
Taurine	Avocados, Dairy products, Red meats, especially lamb and beef, Tempe (fermented soybean product)	Promotes normal growth and development of tissues in the body.
Folic Acid	Acid Barley, Beans, Brewer’s yeast, Calves’ liver, Endive Fruits, Garbanzo beans (chickpeas), Green leafy vegetables, Lentils, Oranges, Peas, Rice, Soybeans, Split peas, Sprouts, Wheat, Wheat germ	Promotes normal red blood cell production and function. It also helps to maintain the nervous system, sex organs and white blood cells too. It also regulates embryonic and fetal development of nerve cells. Promotes normal growth and development too.

Carbohydrates

 

Fats

 

 

Now you’ve considered the other elements of a diet that you need to maximize your efforts to grow taller, you need to think about fats.

 

Most of probably think of fats as a very negative element in our daily diets and most likely think we should avoid these at all costs. However that is not necessarily the case.

 

There are in fact two types of fats which we as Humans consume as part of our daily eating habits and you should be aware of where fats fit in to your ‘grow taller diet’ plan.

 

The two types of fats we consume are known as saturated and unsaturated fats. A diet which is excessively high in fats will of course stunt your growth efforts, so let’s talk about the two different types of fats:

 

The saturated fats are those which we consider to be the most harmful to us as people. They contain extremely high levels of cholesterol which can block your arteries and cause fat deposits to be left around your arteries and organs which can then sometimes lead to illnesses such as heart disease.

 

Saturated fats can also contain lot of calories which tends to cause you to put on weight at a faster rate than other foods.

 

As we have already discussed, putting on weight will counter your efforts to grow taller as it will make your body appear to be wider and therefore shorter too.

 

Primarily saturated fats come from animal products like red meat and fatty dairy items such as whole milk and eggs so try to control the amount of these foods you eat.

 

The second type of fats we will discuss are known as ‘unsaturated’ fats.

 

These types of fats are less harmful to you as they contain a far lower calorific value and also contain lower levels of cholesterol too. As a Human, you do require a certain level of fats to keep yourself healthy and for certain functions to be carried out effectively in your body.

 

Due to this purpose you should try and make sure you eat more unsaturated fats than saturated in your grow taller diet plan.

 

There is now a wide range of products available which contain unsaturated fats as opposed to the more harmful saturated.

 

Some vegetable oil used in cooking contain more unsaturated fats. The most commonly used unsaturated vegetable oils are corn, soy and cotton seed.

 

You should also be aware that dairy produce such as full fat milks and butters do contain high levels of saturated fats, so instead you should opt to drink skimmed milk which is better for you.

 

You should also remember that although we do need a small amount of fat to stay healthy, it should make up no more than around 25-30% of your daily food intake.

 

Adopting a sensible ‘grow taller’ diet plan will allow your body to continue releasing growth hormones without being compromised by high levels of insulin.

 

Water

 

 

As you are probably aware that water is the foundation for life and is the basic essential element of our bodies.

 

In fact around 80% of our body is made up of water! It is used in every single process that take place both internally and externally from operating our organs to moisturizing our skin and maintaining muscle structure too.

 

Water is also use in the synovial fluids that lubricate our joints and allow them to move freely every day.

 

It is difficult for us to understand just how crucial water is to our survival, but when you consider that a human can generally survive for several weeks without food, but can only survive for a matter of two days without water, it helps to emphasize its importance in our lives.

 

It is recommended that we consume around 1.5 litres of water each and every day. This can be made up of other fluids such as tea, coffee and juice drinks, but it is critical we do not let our bodies become dehydrated.

What we need to remember is that for our bodies to function properly it needs to be adequately hydrated, which means that without water, the processes which use growth hormones to allow us to grow taller cannot take place.

 

This means that water is a very important factor we need to include in our grow taller nutrition plan.

 

Don’t forget, it is very difficult to drink too much fluid as our bodies will simply pass it through as urine, which means we can make certain we consume enough fluid each and every day without the risk of it becoming a health problem.

 

Remember, to grow taller our bodies will need all the nutrients it can get, and water is the basis for consuming these and helping to transport them around your body too.

 

These fluids can be consumed as one of the following: plain water from a safe drinking source, juice from fresh squeezed fruits or bottled juices, warm drinks such as tea or coffee but beware of taking in too much caffeine as it could lead to headaches and restlessness.

 

Alcoholic drinks do not qualify as fluid intake as the diuretic effect they have actually means that nutrients are washed from your body and you will lose fluids too.

 

You may be wondering about what else to eat to grow taller. Well you may also be surprised to find out that a very common mistake lots of people make when trying to get taller is that they include far too much carbohydrate in their diet. Believe it or not a diet that is high in carbohydrates can have a stunting effect on your growth. Although carbohydrate does contain a lot of energy, it only contains a very little amount of vitamins and minerals, or anything else your body can use to aid growth. The high carbohydrate diet is argued to be one of the very reasons that Asian countries have such a short average height compared with those of Europe or the United States. Foods which Asian countries eat regularly such as corns, rice, breads and grain products are extremely high in carbohydrates but contain little else useful to the bodies development or growth.

 

This has meant a stunted growth effect which leaves the population in this part of the world shorter than average. A second important issue to consider when thinking about your ‘grow taller’ nutrition plan is the glycemic index. The glycemic index or G.I is a measure of how fast the carbohydrate you eat will absorb into the bloodstream and raise your blood sugar levels. This normally takes place over a period of several hours but it largely depends on the food types you are eating and its GI. As the GI is measured on a scale, the base rate or ‘normal food’ is set at 100, this is normally considered to be white bread. This is important to growing taller because food which has a higher GI becomes absorbed into your blood quickly and therefore raises the level of insulin in your system. Why is this bad? Well insulin inhibits the ability of growth hormones in your body. The following are the Glycemic values for various foods with White Bread as the Standard food value:

152 Maltose	80 Potato, new, boiled	54 Brown beans
138 Glucose	80 Cookies, rich tea	53 Apple
134 Cooked parsnips	79 Rice, polished, boiled 15 min	52 Yogurt
132 Puffed rice	79 Fruit cocktail	52 Tomato soup
128 Potato, Russet, baked	78 Cookies, oatmeal	52 Ice cream
126 Honey	77 Potato chips	52 Fish fingers
121 Rice, instant, boiled 6 min	74 Yam	50 Lima beans
118 Potato, instant	74 Peaches, canned	50 Green peas, dried
117 Cooked carrots	74 Buckwheat	49 Whole milk
115 Corn flakes	74 All Bran	49 Chick peas (Garbanzo)
109 Broad beans (Fava beans)	70 Potato, sweet	48 2% milk
103 Millet	69 Grapefruit juice	47 Rye kernels
100 Tortilla, corn	68 Bread, rye pumpernickel	46 Skim milk
100 Potato, mashed	67 Orange juice	46 Butter beans
100 Bread, wheat, whole meal	66 Pineapple juice	46 Black eye peas
100 Bread, wheat, white	65 Rice, parboiled, boiled 25 min	46 Apricots, dried
99 Rutabaga (Swede)	65 Rice, instant, boiled 1 min	45 Spaghetti, white, boiled 5 min
99 Corn chips	65 Green peas, marrow fat	45 Kidney beans
97 Shredded wheat	65 Green peas, frozen	43 Black beans
96 Muesli (raw oat cereal)	65 Bulgur	40 Peaches
95 Cookies	64 Macaroni, white, boiled 5 min	39 Sausages
95 Bread, rye, crisp bread	63 Wheat kernels	38 Pasta, spaghetti, protein enriched
94 Mars Bar	63 Sponge cake	37 Red lentils
91 Cookies, plain crackers	63 Pears, canned	34 Plum
91 Apricots, canned	62 Grapes	31 Fructose
89 SUCROSE	61 Spaghetti, white, boiled 15 min	31 Barley (pearled)
89 Bread, rye, whole meal	61 Spaghetti, brown, boiled 15 min	22 Soy beans, canned
88 Raisins	60 Baked beans (canned)	20 Soy beans, dried
88 Beet root	59 Orange	15 Peanuts
87 Porridge oats	59 Apple juice	12 Bengal Gram Dal
84 Banana	58 Rice, polished, boiled 5 min	10 Nopal (prickly pear)
82 Cookies, digestive	58 Pears
81 Rice, brown	57 Haricot (white) beans
81 Pastry	54 Rice, parboiled, boiled 5 min
80 Sweet corn	54 Pasta, star white, boiled 5 min