Nutrition for Growth

Foods That Make You Taller: 11 Growth Foods for Kids and Teens

Q: What is the best food to grow taller?

Dairy has the clearest record in children's growth trials.[3][4] Eggs, grass-fed beef and lamb, sardines, salmon, pumpkin seeds, legumes and leafy greens round out the protein, calcium and zinc a growing child needs.[19]

Food supplies the growth until the growth plates close at the end of puberty. Here are 11 foods that support growing kids and teens, what the milk, meat, egg, zinc and vitamin D trials found, and how adults keep the height they have.

By Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CNS·19-min read

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Evidence-based57 sources citedUpdated October 16, 2026

Published Oct 16, 2026Last updated Oct 16, 2026Editorial policyMedical review policyFact-checking policy

Height is built at the growth plates, through childhood and the teen years.

Foods that make you taller at a glance

Food supplies the growth in children and teens, and the best foods for growing kids are dairy, eggs, grass-fed beef and lamb, sardines and salmon, and seeds, legumes and greens rich in zinc and calcium. That growth runs until the growth plates close at the end of puberty, which sets adult height.1 2

In 15 randomized trials of children aged 3 to 18, adding dairy to their usual diet raised height by 0.21 cm, and an older analysis of 12 controlled trials found about 0.4 cm more growth a year for each cup of milk a day3 4
Zinc supplements slightly increased children's height across 74 randomized trials, and in a placebo-controlled trial of Mongolian teens low in vitamin D, 800 IU a day added 0.9 cm in 6 months5 6
Children 6 to 12 need 9 to 12 hours of sleep and teens 8 to 107
Adults can protect the height they have with strength training, protein at every meal and bone-building foods such as leafy greens and fermented dairy8 9 54
Growth charts and puberty timing show when a child needs a doctor's check; the signs are in the section on when to see a doctor10 11

Every inch a child grows is built in the growth plates, thin discs of cartilage near the ends of the long bones. Cartilage cells there multiply and swell, then bone fills in behind them, and the bone gets a little longer.2 That work runs on protein, calcium, zinc, vitamin D and the rest of what's on your child's plate, and it continues until the plates close at the end of puberty.1

So food's job depends on age. For children and teens, it supplies the growth their genes allow. For adults, it keeps bone strong and helps you hold on to the height you have.

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My philosophy has always been to use food as medicine first,12 and growth shows why: the building materials come from meals, and a blood test shows when a gap needs more than food.

Can food make you taller?

Quick answer

Food helps children and teens grow toward the height their genes allow, and adult height is set once the growth plates close at the end of puberty.1 Genes set the range; nutrition and health in childhood decide how much of it a child reaches.13 14

A 2022 genetic study of 5.4 million people found 12,111 genetic variants that together explain about 40% of the differences in height among people of European ancestry, and 10% to 20% in other ancestries.13

Childhood conditions move height too. Across 1,472 population studies covering 18.6 million people born between 1896 and 1996, South Korean women gained an average of 20.2 cm in height over the century and Iranian men 16.5 cm, while some countries in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia changed little.14 A population's genes barely shift in a hundred years, so gains that size point to how children were fed and cared for.

How food becomes height

1Deep sleep

Growth hormone is released in pulses, and in young adults the largest pulse of the day usually comes with the first deep sleep of the night.15

2Growth signals

Growth hormone and IGF-1, along with thyroid hormone, vitamin D and the sex hormones, direct the growth plates.2 In randomized trials where children added dairy to their diets, IGF-1 rose.3

3Growth plates

Near the ends of the long bones, cartilage cells multiply and swell; then blood vessels and bone cells move in and turn the new cartilage into bone, and the bone gets longer.2

4Building materials

Protein and minerals such as calcium become the new bone, with vitamin D helping the gut absorb calcium and zinc supporting normal growth.16 17

5Plates close

At puberty, estrogen drives the final growth spurt and then fuses the growth plates, in boys as well as girls; men who can't make estrogen or respond to it never have that spurt and keep growing into adulthood.1 Once the plates fuse, bone stops getting longer, though it keeps getting stronger or weaker.

Get My Guide to the 25 Bloodwork Markers

Food first, then test, don't guess. The free guide walks through the markers that show whether a nutrient gap is real:

The 25 markers that matter most, read against optimal ranges, not just "normal"
Where growth nutrients show up: vitamin D, ferritin for iron stores, and RBC zinc
What each marker means and the actions to take, from midday sun for vitamin D to beef, lamb and pumpkin seeds for zinc

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What are the 11 best foods for growing kids and teens?

These foods supply the protein, calcium, zinc, vitamin D and vitamin A that growing bones are built from. They're ordered by how directly each has been tested in children's growth trials, then by how much growth nutrition a serving carries. Every number comes from USDA FoodData Central.19

Food	Serving	Protein (g)	Calcium (mg)	Zinc (mg)	Also notable
Plain whole-milk yogurt	1 cup	8.5	296	1.4	Vitamin B12 0.91 µg
Whole milk, vitamin D added	1 cup	7.7	276	0.9	Vitamin D 124 IU
Cheddar cheese	1 oz	6.5	201	1.0	Vitamin A 96 µg
Egg	1 large	6.3	28	0.6	Choline 147 mg
Ground beef, 85% lean, broiled	3 oz	22.0	15	5.4	Iron 2.2 mg
Lamb loin, broiled	3 oz	22.2	17	3.1	Iron 1.6 mg
Sardines, canned with bones	1 can (3.75 oz)	22.6	351	1.2	Vitamin D 178 IU
Sockeye salmon, cooked	3 oz	22.5	9	0.5	Vitamin D 570 IU
Beef liver, pan-fried	1 oz	7.5	2	1.5	Vitamin A 2,194 µg
Pumpkin seeds	1 oz	8.6	13	2.2	Magnesium 168 mg
Chickpeas, cooked	1 cup	14.5	80	2.5	Iron 4.7 mg
Lentils, cooked	1 cup	17.9	38	2.5	Iron 6.6 mg
Collard greens, cooked	1 cup	5.1	268	0.4	Vitamin K 773 µg
Kale, raw	1 cup	0.6	53	0.1	Vitamin C 19.6 mg
Almonds	1 oz (23 nuts)	6.0	76	0.9	Magnesium 77 mg
Sweet potato, baked	1 medium	2.3	43	0.4	Vitamin A 1,096 µg

Calcium deserves a closer look, because children 9 to 18 need 1,300 mg a day, more than any other age group.18 A cup of yogurt, a cup of milk and an ounce of cheddar together supply 773 mg.19

Calcium per serving in the growth foods

Source: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy [19]Sardines with their bones, yogurt and milk lead the list.

1. Yogurt, kefir, cheese and milk

Dairy delivers protein and calcium in the same serving: a cup of plain whole-milk yogurt alone carries 8.5 grams of protein and 296 mg of calcium.19 Dairy also has the longest record in children's growth trials, going back to 1926, which the research section below walks through.4

Those trials used ordinary cow's milk, often fortified. For your family's dairy, The Biblio Diet, which I co-wrote with Jordan Rubin, favors organic A2 dairy, especially fermented into yogurt or kefir, and organic full-fat milk over conventional dairy.20 Goat milk and sheep milk carry only A2 casein, so they fit too.21 As I said on my show, fermented dairy is healing to the gut, and it can be healing to the bones, too, because of all of the calcium and magnesium.21 For the cheeses worth buying, see the healthiest cheese.

2. Pasture-raised eggs

One large egg gives 6.3 grams of protein, 147 mg of choline, 41 IU of vitamin D and 80 µg of vitamin A.19 I count eggs as excellent for us, especially the yolk.20 Choose pasture-raised eggs and serve them whole, scrambled with greens or hard-boiled for a lunchbox. Eggs have been tested in babies' growth trials too; the results are in the research section.

3. Grass-fed beef and lamb

Three ounces of broiled 85% lean ground beef carries 22.0 grams of protein, 5.4 mg of zinc, 2.2 mg of iron and 2.24 µg of vitamin B12, and the same amount of broiled lamb loin has 22.2 grams of protein and 3.1 mg of zinc.19 That one serving of beef covers about two-thirds of the 8 mg of zinc children 9 to 13 need each day.17

On my show, I've told parents to buy their kids organic grass-fed beef and make grass-fed burgers,22 and I suggest serving kids grass-fed meat loaf or pasture-raised grilled chicken, with about half of your protein coming from animal meat such as grass-fed beef, bison, lamb or venison.20

Your kids need lots of protein. They ideally need a lot of red meat.Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CNSFrom The Hidden Dangers of ADHD Meds & How to Overcome ADHD Naturally, The Dr. Josh Axe Show (2024), at 15:35

Keep red meat fresh, unprocessed and grass-fed. The WHO's cancer agency classifies processed meat of every kind, processed beef included, as a Group 1 carcinogen, largely on colorectal cancer data, and rates red meat itself Group 2A, probably carcinogenic.23 As I've said on my show, the studies that link red meat to poor health mostly reflect grain-fed and processed meat, not the fresh, grass-fed red meat I recommend.21

4. Sardines, bones and all

A 3.75-ounce can of sardines packed with their soft bones carries 22.6 grams of protein, 351 mg of calcium and 178 IU of vitamin D.19 That's more calcium than a cup of milk, from a fish small enough to eat whole. My standard for fish is wild and ocean-caught, with fins and scales, plus whole small fish such as sardines and anchovies.20 Mash them onto toast with lemon, or stir them into a pasta sauce.

5. Wild salmon

Three ounces of cooked sockeye salmon has 22.5 grams of protein and 570 IU of vitamin D, nearly the 600 IU a day that children and adults up to 70 need.19 16 Canned sockeye goes further, with 715 IU of vitamin D and 197 mg of calcium in 3 ounces.19 Spend your fish meals on wild salmon, sardines and anchovies, three of the lowest-mercury fish.24 For more, see salmon nutrition.

6. Beef liver, in small portions

Beef liver carries more vitamin A and vitamin B12 per ounce than anything else on this list. One ounce, pan-fried, has 7.5 grams of protein, 1.7 mg of iron, 23.56 µg of vitamin B12 and 2,194 µg of vitamin A.19 It's one of the most nutrient-dense foods you can eat,25 so a small weekly portion is plenty.

For children, keep it smaller still. Liver's vitamin A is the preformed kind, which has daily upper limits of 600 µg for ages 1 to 3, 900 µg for ages 4 to 8, 1,700 µg for ages 9 to 13 and 2,800 µg for ages 14 to 18.26 Those are daily limits, and 1 ounce carries more than a child under 14 should get in a day, so for them, mix a little liver into ground beef now and then.

7. Pumpkin seeds

An ounce of pumpkin seeds has 8.6 grams of protein, 2.2 mg of zinc, 168 mg of magnesium and 2.5 mg of iron.19 On my show, my list of zinc foods starts with grass-fed beef and includes pumpkin seeds,22 and my bloodwork guide names beef, lamb and pumpkin seeds as the foods to eat when zinc runs low.27 Sprinkle them on yogurt or oatmeal, or pack a handful for a snack, and grind them for young children.

8. Chickpeas and lentils

A cup of cooked lentils has 17.9 grams of protein, 2.5 mg of zinc and 6.6 mg of iron, and a cup of chickpeas has 14.5 grams of protein, 2.5 mg of zinc and 4.7 mg of iron.19 Legumes carry phytates, which bind iron and lower how much you absorb.28 As I've explained on my show, sprouting and fermentation help break phytates down, and eating vitamin C alongside helps too.28 I rank beans and legumes best when they're soaked or pressure-cooked.20

9. Collard greens and kale

Cooked collard greens rival milk for calcium: a cup has 268 mg, against 276 mg in a cup of whole milk, along with 773 µg of vitamin K.19 A cup of raw kale adds 53 mg of calcium and 19.6 mg of vitamin C.19 Sauté greens in olive oil with garlic, or blend a handful of kale into a smoothie.

10. Almonds

An ounce of almonds, about 23 nuts, has 6.0 grams of protein, 76 mg of calcium and 77 mg of magnesium.19 They travel well in a lunchbox. For young children, serve almond butter spread thin or finely ground almonds.

11. Sweet potatoes

A medium baked sweet potato has 1,096 µg of vitamin A, as beta-carotene, plus 22.3 mg of vitamin C.19 Vitamin A supports normal growth and development, and the upper limits for vitamin A apply to the preformed kind in liver and supplements, not to the beta-carotene in plants.26 Roast them in wedges or mash them with a little butter.

What does a day of growth foods look like?

Here's how those foods fit into one day for a growing child or teen:

Breakfast: Eggs scrambled with spinach, and plain full-fat A2, goat or sheep yogurt or kefir topped with pumpkin seeds.
Lunch: A grass-fed burger or meat loaf with roasted sweet potato wedges.
Snack: Almonds or a slice of A2, goat or sheep cheese with fruit.
Dinner: Wild salmon or sardines with sautéed collard greens and lentils simmered in bone broth.
Bedtime: Early enough for a full night's sleep; the hours each age needs are in the sleep section below.

For more on feeding growing kids, see nutrition for children's growth and these high-protein foods.

What does the growth research show?

These are the foods and nutrients researchers have tested directly in children's growth trials. Each card's badge rates the strength of the human research behind it.

Milk and dairy

Strong evidenceHuman studyMeta-analysis of 21 randomized trials · meta-analysis of 12 controlled trials

In a 2023 analysis of 21 randomized trials in children aged 3 to 18, most of them with milk, adding dairy to the children's usual diet raised height by 0.21 cm more than in the comparison groups across the 15 trials that measured height, a small gain the reviewers were highly confident in. Whole-body bone mineral ended 3.0% higher too; three of the authors worked for a dairy company.3 An older analysis of 12 controlled trials run since 1926 found about 0.4 cm more growth a year for each cup (about 245 mL) of milk a day, with larger gains in children who were shorter for their age and in teenagers.4

School milk shows the same pattern. In Beijing, nine schools were randomly assigned so that 498 girls aged 10 drank a 330 mL carton of calcium-fortified milk, with vitamin D added for 260 of them, each school day for 2 years while 259 girls didn't. The milk drinkers' gains were 0.6% to 0.7% larger for height, 0.8% to 1.2% larger for sitting height and 3.2% to 5.3% larger for total-body bone density.29 Three years after the milk stopped, 501 of the girls were measured again, and the bone advantage had faded while the calcium-milk group kept a 0.9% greater gain in sitting height.30

Meat and other animal foods

Moderate evidenceHuman studyMeta-analysis of 8 randomized trials · school trial of 910 children in 12 Kenyan schools

In a 2022 analysis of 8 randomized trials in babies and toddlers 6 to 24 months old in low- and middle-income countries, adding animal-source foods to their meals raised length-for-age by 0.15 and weight-for-age by 0.20, measured on the standard growth scores that compare a child with healthy children the same age.31

In rural Kenya, 12 primary schools were randomly assigned, three to each group, to give first-graders a daily snack of githeri, a local plant-based dish, with meat, with milk or plain with fat added to match the calories, or no snack, for 2 school years; 910 children took part.32 33 For height, faster gains were limited to the milk group's younger children and those already stunted.32 Children in the meat group built upper-arm muscle about twice as fast as children given the plain snack (6.6 against 3.2 square millimeters a month),33 and they showed the steepest gains in reasoning and arithmetic scores and the most active play.32

Zinc

Moderate evidenceHuman studyCochrane review of 96 randomized trials · meta-analysis of 36 studies

A 2023 Cochrane review pooled 96 randomized trials of preventive zinc in 219,584 children aged 6 months to 12 years, most of them in low- and middle-income countries; the supplements were most often 10 to 15 mg a day, usually as a syrup, for a median of 26 weeks. Across the 74 studies with 20,720 children that measured height, zinc slightly increased height, and the reviewers were moderately confident in that finding.5 In centimeters, an earlier analysis of placebo-controlled trials in children under 5 in developing countries found that in the trials giving 10 mg a day for 24 weeks, zinc added about 0.37 cm compared with placebo.34 Giving iron together with zinc reduced zinc's benefit.5 For signs a child runs low, see zinc deficiency.

Eggs

Mixed evidenceHuman studyRandomized trials in Ecuador, Malawi, Bangladesh and Guatemala

In the Lulun Project in Ecuador's highlands, 163 babies aged 6 to 9 months were randomly assigned to one egg a day for 6 months or to a comparison group given no eggs, and their families knew which group they were in. The egg babies' length-for-age score ended 0.63 higher than the comparison group's, stunting was 47% less common among them, and caregivers reported no allergic reactions.35 Three larger trials in Malawi, Bangladesh and Guatemala, with 660 to more than 2,300 babies each, found no gain in length (in Guatemala, slightly more of the egg babies were stunted at the end, 49.7% against 46.6%),36 37 38 though in Bangladesh the egg babies gained 0.07 kg more weight.37 In Ecuador, when 135 of the children were measured again 2 years after the daily egg stopped, the gain had faded, but children who had eaten an egg in the previous day lost less ground.39

Vitamin D

Mixed evidenceHuman studyPlacebo-controlled trials of 113 and 8,851 children

In Mongolia, where winter vitamin D runs very low, 113 schoolchildren aged 12 to 15 with an average vitamin D level of about 7 ng/mL took 800 IU of vitamin D3 a day or a placebo for 6 months, and neither the children nor the researchers knew who got what. The vitamin D group grew 3.0 cm, against 2.0 cm on placebo, a difference the researchers put at 0.9 cm.6 A 3-year placebo-controlled trial of 8,851 children aged 6 to 13 in the same city, giving 14,000 IU once a week, raised vitamin D levels to 31.0 ng/mL and found no difference in height.40

For vitamin D, the order I gave in my vitamin D episode is the sun first, a little from food, and a supplement on the days you're not getting sunshine.41 Get sun without ever burning, and see vitamin D deficiency for the signs.

Teens low in vitamin D grew 3.0 cm in 6 months on 800 IU a day, against 2.0 cm on placebo

Source: Ganmaa et al. · PLoS One, 2017 [6]Average height gained in each group; the researchers put the difference at 0.9 cm.

Does sleep make you taller?

Quick answer

Sleep supports growth, since the body releases a large pulse of growth hormone with deep sleep.15 Children 6 to 12 need 9 to 12 hours a night and teens 13 to 18 need 8 to 10.7

Those ranges come from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and count all sleep in 24 hours.7 I've called sleep medicine on my show, and for adults I recommend around 8 hours, with 7 at the minimum.42 Children need more than that, and a set bedtime makes those hours easier to reach. For what short nights do to the body, see sleep deprivation.

What holds a child's growth back?

Quick answer

Long-term undernutrition is what stunts growth, and early puberty and untreated conditions such as celiac disease can cut a child's growth short too.43 1 44

Stunting, being short for one's age, is the result of chronic or recurrent undernutrition, according to the WHO, and it affected 149 million children under 5 worldwide in 2022.43

Diet also shapes when puberty starts. I count unhealthy foods and rising obesity in adolescents as one significant driver of earlier puberty.20 Timing matters for height because the estrogen that powers the growth spurt also closes the plates,1 and on my show, I've pointed out that children who go through puberty early can end up with a shorter adult height.45 Swap sweetened drinks and packaged snacks for the foods on this list; see ultra-processed foods for what to cut first.

Some children are short for a medical reason that needs a diagnosis, such as celiac disease, anemia or a growth hormone problem. The signs to watch for are in the section on when to see a doctor.

Do height supplements and gummies work?

Quick answer

Supplements can help a child grow when they correct a real shortfall, such as low zinc or vitamin D found on a test, and gummies sold for height haven't been tested in published trials that we could find.5 6

Food comes first. As I put it on my show, "Supplements are for supplementing the holes in your diet."46 If kids take only two supplements, I recommend a multivitamin and a probiotic.47 Beyond those, test before you add more:

Vitamin D: For kids 12 to 18, I typically suggest about 2,000 IU a day, adjusted for body weight,41 22 and a test shows whether that's the right amount.
Zinc: In the Cochrane review's randomized trials, zinc supplements made diarrhea 9% less common and made vomiting 29% more likely,5 so lean on zinc foods and use a supplement when a test shows zinc is low, at the dose your practitioner sets.
Iron: Across 25 randomized trials, iron supplements didn't improve children's growth,48 so check iron status before giving it.
Calcium: In 19 placebo-controlled trials of 2,859 healthy children, calcium supplements made small gains in total-body bone mineral and arm bone density, and the arm gain lasted after the supplements stopped, while hip and spine density didn't change.49 My rule for calcium is one I've given on my show: if you're taking it, never take it by itself, but with magnesium, vitamin D, boron, phosphorus and vitamin K2.50

Can adults get taller?

Quick answer

Once the growth plates close, bone stops getting longer, so an adult's job is keeping the height they have.1 Strength training and protein at every meal protect bone and the spine,8 9 and I put leafy greens and fermented dairy at the top for bone density.54

Your height changes over each day. In 34 adults measured about 7 hours apart, height dropped by about 7 mm over the day (6.9 mm in men and 7.4 mm in women), and heavier people lost more.51 In 53 schoolchildren, most of the daily loss came soon after getting up: 0.31 cm between 9 and 11 a.m., 0.20 cm from 11 to 1, and almost none, 0.045 cm, from 1 to 3 p.m.52 Measure your child at the same time of day each time.

Height loss over the years begins around age 30 and speeds up with age. In the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, which measured 2,084 adults again and again over years, men lost about 3 cm and women about 5 cm between ages 30 and 70, and by 80 the losses reached about 5 cm and 8 cm.53

Spine fractures are one cause, bringing pain, loss of height and a rounded upper back.8 In the 3-year DO-HEALTH trial, 1,488 adults aged 70 and older in Europe who had spine scans, 77% of them with low bone mass, were randomly assigned to a simple home strength program (sit-to-stand, single-leg stance, elastic-band pulls and step-ups, 30 minutes three times a week) or to flexibility exercises; 1,369 had their follow-up scans.

Among the 157 who already had a spine fracture, 83 in the strength group and 74 in the flexibility group, worsening fractures numbered 10 against 25, a 66% lower rate. The program didn't change the rate of new spine fractures across men and women together, and in women, it lowered the rate of all spine fractures by 48%. Vitamin D (2,000 IU a day) and omega-3s (1 gram a day) didn't change fracture rates.8

Worsening spine fractures: 10 with simple strength exercises, 25 with flexibility exercises

Source: Kistler-Fischbacher et al. · Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 2025 [8]83 people did the strength program and 74 the flexibility exercises; the rate of worsening fractures was 66% lower with strength work.

My advice for keeping bone and muscle as you age is simple: lift weights 2 to 3 days a week, pushing a little heavier over time, and eat protein at every meal.9 For building bone density, I put green leafy vegetables, celery, broccoli and raw organic fermented dairy at the top.54 See the best foods for bone health, and if your head drifts forward over a screen all day, forward head posture covers the exercises that bring it back.

Planning meals for a growing kid?

Ask Dr. Axe AI. Its answers draw on this library and show their sources.

When should you see a doctor about your child's growth?

Quick answer

See your child's doctor if your child drops across the lines on a growth chart, shows no signs of puberty by 13 (girls) or 14 (boys), or is short and also tired, pale or troubled by gut symptoms, and promptly if poor growth comes with headaches or vision changes.10 11 44 55

Signs a child's growth needs a doctor's check:

Poor growth with headaches or vision changes: Get your child seen promptly; the Pediatric Endocrine Society lists this pairing as an urgent reason for referral.55
Dropping across the growth-chart lines: Have your child's height measured and plotted on the CDC growth charts at each checkup. A child who drifts down across the percentile lines over time needs a check, whatever their height.10
No signs of puberty by 13 or 14: No breast development by 13 in girls, or no testicular growth by 14 in boys, is the usual definition of delayed puberty.11
Short stature with fatigue, pale skin, belly pain or diarrhea: Ask about testing for anemia and celiac disease. In one clinic series of 72 short children in Iran, 2 had celiac disease, 5 a growth hormone deficiency, 5 giardiasis (a gut parasite) and 4 anemia, and the authors advised checking for celiac disease even without gut symptoms.44
Daily steroid medicine: In a placebo-controlled trial of children with asthma who were followed into adulthood, those who took the inhaled steroid budesonide (400 µg a day) for 4 to 6 years were 1.2 cm shorter as adults than those given a placebo; 943 of the 1,041 children were measured as adults.56 Don't stop a prescribed inhaler or steroid; ask the doctor who prescribed it about the lowest dose that controls symptoms.

The bottom line

Why these foods belong on a growing child's plate

For a growing child, these 11 foods are some of the most useful things you can put on the plate: dairy, eggs and grass-fed meat for protein, sardines and salmon for calcium and vitamin D, and seeds, legumes and greens for zinc, iron and more calcium. Milk and dairy have the clearest record in children's growth trials, with consistent gains, and the rest of the list supplies the nutrients those trials point to.

Build each meal around a protein food, add calcium foods through the day, keep zinc foods in the rotation, get sun without burning, protect sleep, and let a test guide any supplement. My free bloodwork guide covers vitamin D, ferritin and zinc, and if you have results, analyze your bloodwork free →

A child's body was designed to grow, so give it the materials and the sleep it needs.

Foods that make you taller: frequently asked questions

Does milk make you taller?

Yes, in growing children: in 15 randomized trials of kids aged 3 to 18, adding dairy to their usual diet raised height by 0.21 cm, and an older analysis of 12 controlled trials found about 0.4 cm more growth a year for each cup of milk a day.3 4 For your family's dairy, I put organic A2 dairy first, ideally fermented as yogurt or kefir.20

What vitamins and minerals help you grow taller?

Calcium, vitamin D, zinc and vitamin A, together with protein, are the main ones for growing bones.2 17 26 In randomized trials, zinc supplements slightly increased children's height, and in a placebo-controlled trial of Mongolian teens low in vitamin D, 800 IU a day added 0.9 cm in 6 months.5 6

Can you grow taller after 18?

Only while your growth plates are still open; they close at the end of puberty.1 After that, you can protect the height you have by lifting weights 2 to 3 days a week and eating protein at every meal.9

How can I grow taller at 16?

If you're still growing, give your body the materials and the rest: protein at every meal, calcium foods such as yogurt, sardines and cooked greens toward 1,300 mg a day, zinc foods such as beef and pumpkin seeds, and 8 to 10 hours of sleep.18 7

How tall will my child be?

Tanner's formula gives a rough target: for a boy, add both parents' heights plus 13 cm and divide by 2; for a girl, add both parents' heights, subtract 13 cm and divide by 2.57 The usual range is 8.5 cm either side of that number, and the formula tends to underestimate children of very short parents.57

What is the best food to grow taller?

Dairy has the clearest record in children's growth trials.3 4 Eggs, grass-fed beef and lamb, sardines, salmon, pumpkin seeds, legumes and leafy greens round out the protein, calcium and zinc a growing child needs.19

How much calcium does a growing child need?

Children 9 to 18 need 1,300 mg of calcium a day, more than any other age group.18 A cup of yogurt, a cup of milk and an ounce of cheddar together supply 773 mg, and a can of sardines with their bones adds 351 mg.19

Which foods are highest in zinc for kids?

Beef leads this list: 3 ounces of ground beef has 5.4 mg of zinc, about two-thirds of the 8 mg children 9 to 13 need each day.19 17 Lamb, pumpkin seeds, chickpeas and lentils add more.19

Is beef liver safe for kids?

In small amounts: 1 ounce of pan-fried beef liver has 2,194 µg of vitamin A, more than the daily upper limit of 1,700 µg for ages 9 to 13.19 26 For children under 14, mix a little liver into ground beef now and then.

How many hours of sleep does a teenager need to grow?

Teens 13 to 18 need 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night, and children 6 to 12 need 9 to 12, counting all sleep in 24 hours.7 The body releases a large pulse of growth hormone with deep sleep.15

Does your height change during the day?

Yes, you're a little taller in the morning: adults lose about 7 mm over the day,51 and in schoolchildren most of the loss comes in the first few hours after getting up.52 Measure a child at the same time of day each time.

Do people shrink as they age?

Yes, slowly: in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, men lost about 3 cm and women about 5 cm between ages 30 and 70.53 Strength training and protein at every meal help protect bone and the spine.8 9

Freshness & method note

October 6, 2026 (second update) — Opened the summary with what food does for growing children, added the DO-HEALTH follow-up count and the zinc trials' effect on diarrhea, tied the adults' bone-food advice to its source, added bone broth to the sample day, and added six questions to the FAQ.

October 16, 2026 — Rewrote the page. The 2021 version listed 11 foods, including tea, collagen powder and vitamin C fruits, with general nutrient notes and few sources. The new page answers first that adult height is set once the growth plates close, lists 11 growth foods with USDA numbers per serving, adds the children's growth trials for milk, meat, eggs, zinc and vitamin D with their designs and results, and adds a diagram of how food becomes height, three charts, a sample day of meals, and sections on sleep, supplements, adults and when to see a doctor, with 57 numbered references.

References

Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CNS

Doctor of Natural Medicine · Founder, DrAxe.com

Dr. Axe is a certified doctor of natural medicine, clinical nutritionist, and multiple New York Times bestselling author. He has spent 20+ years in clinical practice helping people heal at the root cause and founded one of the most-visited natural-health platforms in the world.

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