How to Become Taller Naturally

Maybe you feel like your friends have suddenly hit a growth spurt and you're lagging seriously behind. Maybe the rest of your family is really tall and you're wondering if you can do anything to catch up. The truth is that a person's height is mostly determined by things out of their control, like genetics. However, you can control some factors that affect height during your teen years like your diet and activity levels. Plus, if you’ve stopped growing, you can look taller than you are by following a few style tips.

Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Supporting Natural Growth

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    Eat a balanced diet. If you're still growing, a balanced diet helps build strong bones and muscles.[1] If you've stopped growing, eating a balanced diet can help you stay lean, which can help you look taller.
    • Eat plenty of lean protein. Lean protein, such as beans, soy, and nuts, helps promote muscle growth and healthy bones. Stay away from simple carbohydrates such as pizza, cakes, sweets, and soda.
    • Eat plenty of calcium. Calcium, found in dairy, leafy green vegetables (like spinach and kale) and in fortified foods, helps promote healthy bones.[2]
    • Get enough zinc. Studies, although they have been inconclusive so far, point to a possible link between zinc deficiencies and stunted growth in boys.[3] Good sources of zinc include wheat germ, pumpkin and squash seeds, and peanuts.[4]
    • Get enough vitamin D. Vitamin D promotes bone and muscle growth in children[5] , and a deficiency has been shown to stunt growth and cause weight gain in teenage girls. Modest amounts of vitamin D can be found in alfalfa and mushrooms, as well as vitamin D-fortified foods such as some milks and cereals. However, the vast majority of your vitamin D comes from sunlight exposure. Just 15 minutes a day out in the sun (on average) can ensure you get enough vitamin D.
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    Exercise throughout your teen years and through puberty. Getting regular exercise may help you to grow taller during your teen years. Get out and work your muscles for at least 60 minutes/one hour each day.
    • Join a gym. Joining a gym will help give you access to a lot of great exercising and muscle-building machines. It will also keep you motivated to work out (you'll feel silly if you're in the gym but not exercising).
    • Join a sports team. People who join sports teams can use their natural competitiveness to burn extra calories and hopefully get their bodies taller. The great thing about team sports is that half the time, you don't even realize that you're exercising.
    • If nothing else, walk around. If you can't find the time to do anything else, get up and walk around. Walk to the grocery store. Walk to the library. Walk to school.
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    Get adequate sleep each night. Sleeping is the time when your body grows, so having plenty of sleep is equivalent to giving your body more time for growth. Get between 8 and 10 hours of sleep per night if you're between 13 and 18 years old.[6]
    • The human growth hormone (HGH) is produced naturally in our bodies, especially during deep or slow wave sleep.[7] Getting good, sound sleep will encourage the production of HGH, which is created in the pituitary gland.
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    Understand that height is often determined through genetics. Scientists reckon that 60% to 80% of your height is determined by genes.[8] Unfortunately, either you have the tall gene or you don't. That's not to say that you can't grow tall if you have parents who are on the shorter side; it just means that having shorter parents means you're more likely to be on the short side.
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    Try not to stunt your growth. There might not be a lot you can do to increase your height, but you can take several steps to make sure your natural height isn't shortened by environmental influences. Drugs and alcohol are both thought to contribute to stunted growth if they're ingested while you're young, and malnutrition can keep you from reaching your full height, as well.[9]
    • Does caffeine really stunt your growth? Scientific study shows that, no, caffeine does not stunt growth.[10] Caffeine does, however, have a higher chance of keeping you from sleeping soundly and regularly. Kids and adolescents needs about 9-10 hours of sleep, and caffeine may hurt your ability to get that much sleep.
    • Does smoking really stunt your growth? The effects of smoking and second-hand smoke on body mass index (BMI) are inconclusive. According to Columbia University's Internet Health Resource, "Although the studies that have been done are largely inconclusive, the available research suggests that children who smoke or who are exposed to second-hand smoke are shorter than those who do not smoke or are children of non-smokers."[11]
    • Do steroids really stunt your growth? Absolutely. Anabolic steroids inhibit bone growth in young children and teens, along with lowering sperm count, decreasing breast size, elevating blood pressure and putting you at higher risk of heart attack.[12]
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    Expect to be in your twenties when you stop growing. A lot of young kids look at themselves and ask, "Have I finished growing yet?" If you're under 18, the answer is probably "No!"[13] If you haven't stopped puberty yet, then you haven't stopped growing.[14] Try to be thankful that you have a little time to grow taller instead of worrying about how tall you will be.
Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Looking Taller

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    Focus on good posture. Stand straight instead of hunching your back, and pull your stomach in to engage your core muscles. Pull your shoulders back and slightly together.[15] Having a good posture will make you look much taller!
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    Wear fitted, properly-sized clothes. Tighter clothes accentuate the lines of your body. If you wear baggy clothes, those lines disappear, making you look smaller. Wear slim-fitting clothes that make you feel good about yourself and aren’t too long for your legs or arms.[16]
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    Enhance your height with shoes. Avoid wearing flats or flip-flops. Instead, wear shoes or boots with heels or running shoes with a bit of cushioning on the bottom.[17]
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    Show off your legs. Try wearing high-waisted jeans to look taller.[18] Skip wearing a belt, which can visually break up your body, making you look shorter. Don’t be afraid of wearing shorts or mini-skirts to highlight your legs.
    • If you’re wearing suit pants, go for slightly shorter pants without a break (where the pants material bunches up over the shoe).[19]
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    Wear dark-colored clothes. Sometimes, looking taller is all about looking slimmer. If you're able to look slimmer, there's a good chance you'll also look taller. Colors like black, dark blue, and forest green can all contribute to looking both slimmer and taller, especially if you go dark on both the top and the bottom.
    • Go for a monochromatic look. Pick tops and bottoms that are the same color so you’re not breaking your body into segments.[20]
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    Wear clothing with vertical stripes. Wearing clothes with vertical stripes can make you look taller than you are.[21] Horizontal stripes do the opposite, so avoid wearing horizontal stripes.

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References

  1. ↑ https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/healthy-food-for-kids.htm
  2. ↑ http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-HealthProfessional/
  3. ↑ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17217573
  4. ↑ http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/zinc.php
  5. ↑ http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/label-etiquet/claims-reclam/assess-evalu/calcium_osteo-eng.php
  6. ↑ https://www.healthychildren.org/English/news/Pages/AAP-Supports-Childhood-Sleep-Guidelines.aspx
  7. ↑ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-90598/What-happens-body-youre-asleep.html
  8. ↑ http://www.md-health.com/How-To-Grow-Taller-After-21.html
  9. ↑ https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh283/125-132.htm
  1. ↑ http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2010/10/11/does_caffeine_really_stunt_adolescents_growth/
  2. ↑ https://goaskalice.columbia.edu/answered-questions/smoking-stunting-my-growth
  3. ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/steroids.html
  4. ↑ http://www.teenagehealthfreak.org/content/when-do-you-stop-growing
  5. ↑ http://teens.webmd.com/features/how-tall-will-i-be?page=2
  6. ↑ https://medlineplus.gov/guidetogoodposture.html
  7. ↑ https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/style-files/news/g37611/how-to-look-taller/?slide=9
  8. ↑ https://www.dmarge.com/how-to-look-taller
  9. ↑ https://stylecaster.com/dressing-to-look-taller/#slide-3
  10. ↑ https://www.parisiangentleman.com/blog/six-ways-shorter-men-can-dress-to-look-taller
  11. ↑ https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/style-files/news/g37611/how-to-look-taller/?slide=2
  12. ↑ https://stylecaster.com/dressing-to-look-taller/#slide-2

About this article

Ashley Kahn
Co-authored by:
Ashley Kahn
Wardrobe Stylist
This article was co-authored by Ashley Kahn. Ashley Kahn is a Wardrobe Stylist based in Houston, Texas. With over 10 years of experience, Ashley styles women both in-person and virtually and is passionate about empowering women through the art of personal style. She believes every woman deserves to feel comfortable, classy, and confident every single day. Ashley holds a business degree from Sam Houston State University. She has been featured on KPRC's Channel 2 Houston Life and ABC 13's Check This Out Houston and in the Houstonia magazine. Ashley has also hosted Macy’s “The Wardrobe Edit” and the “It List” fashion shows. This article has been viewed 7,093,950 times.
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Co-authors: 157
Updated: March 20, 2023
Views: 7,093,950
Article SummaryX

To become taller naturally, exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, which has been shown to help people grow. If you're still a kid or teenager, join a sports team so you're exercising and building strong, healthy bones. Also, make sure you're getting 8-11 hours of sleep each night since your body grows the most when you're sleeping. You can also become taller by avoiding things that stunt growth, like drugs, alcohol, and smoking. To learn how to make yourself appear taller while you're waiting to grow, read the article!

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