The age of 18 is important, don’t you think? For many, it is the age at which one can both vote and drive. Moreover, it is also the age at which one transitions from adolescence to adulthood. This involves numerous changes in the body, especially for young boys becoming men. One of these changes is your height. Many believe it is near impossible to make changes to your height after 18 years of age. Is this true? Let’s find out!
What Determines Your Height?
The answer to the question of what determines our height is ‘genetics.’ However, is that all? No. This is the simple way around this question but the truth is more challenging.
It is true that genetics affect male height but other facts do too. These include but are not limited to your weight, the climate you reside in, and your diet. Let us begin to break these aspects down one by one.
- Overweight or obese men appear to be shorter than they really are. Maintaining a healthy weight and following a balanced weight loss regime can help you add a few inches to your height.
- One’s climate and environmental factors like altitude, weather and miscellaneous factors influence your height.
- A balanced diet full of protein, folate, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, iron, calcium and other nutrients is essential to facilitate height growth. Consuming these in the form of supplements is not always the best idea. Here are some food sources for the same:
- Leafy green vegetables like spinach and other leguminous plants.
- Chicken, mutton, eggs, salmon, and other meat.
- If you are vegetarian, consuming paneer, chickpeas, oats and brussel sprouts is a healthy way to meet your protein intake.
How to Increase Height after 18 Years?
Is it possible to increase height after 18 years of age? Yes, it is! It is estimated that a human body grows about 2-6 inches taller even after you have passed the 18 year age mark! However, consistency in the following practices is necessary to make sure you are able to increase height after 18 years efficiently:
Eat a heavy breakfast
Missing breakfast is not advised. As discussed earlier, eating a heavy breakfast speeds up your metabolism, making you full for longer, allowing you to reduce body weight over a specific time period. This positively affects your height.
Nutritive diet
Consuming foods rich in manganese, phosphorus and zinc make sure your body receives essential nutrients for height growth, that too in a natural manner.
Practice yoga
Practicing yoga helps to straighten the spine, making you look taller and upright. Yoga asanas like Tadasana are also responsible for stretching the spine and this could aid height growth. Moreover, Yoga aids in maintenance of good posture which makes you appear taller.
Lay off the alcohol and cigarettes
Excessive smoking and alcohol consumption act as harmful growth inhibitors for men wanting to increase height after 18 years. Make sure you try to avoid these as they will hinder the natural process of height growth.