I wish I was a little bit taller, is not just a song by the obscure one hit wonder Skee-Low, but it is the wish of many people who tend to be vertically challenged. When I was a teenager I wished to the moon and back that I could be just a little bit taller. It would have made playing sports easier, getting girls easier, and getting the box of cereal off the top shelf much more easy.

I knew that genetics played a huge role in determining how tall I was ultimately going to be. As luck would have it my mother is 5'0, and my father is 5'7 so wishing for me was in vain, and I was never going to play in the National Basketball League. Armed with that understanding I researched how to get taller. What I should eat, what I should not eat and what types of exercises I should do to increase my height.

I learned that if I wanted to increase my chances of growing taller I had to have strong muscles and bones. That means I had to watch what I put in my body. When you are young your body is rapidly growing, and it reacts to everything that is put in it. I had to also figure out which things I needed to stay away from that could stunt my growth.

First, you should eat a good supply of foods that are rich in calcium like milk, green vegetables, dark leafy greens, low fat cheese and yogurt. Calcium rich foods help to strengthen your bones. I like to use the Nutri-bullet to blend my dark leafy greats and my fruits together for a great tasting powerful smoothie.

Second, you should get an fair amount of vitamin D which promotes both bone and muscular growth. You can get vitamin D from fish, eggs and from the sunlight outside.

Finally, you should have a protein rich diet. That means eat good amounts of chicken, turkey, nuts and seeds, and eggs. Protein helps to build strong muscles. Protein also aids in cell growth.

Having a healthy diet that promotes strong bones and muscles will increase your chances of getting taller. Also, staying away from things like coffee, caffeine, drugs and alcohol which can stunt your growth can also be very helpful. Not everyone can be as tall as Michael Jordan or Shaquille O'Neal, but you can eat healthy foods that will help you fulfill your wish of being a little bit taller.

