Does being a vegetarian affect how tall you are? Are vegetarians taller or shorted than meat-eaters?
60-80% of a person’s height is influenced by genetics with the remaining 20-40% being influenced by the environment, health, and lifestyle of the person.
Does being a vegetarian affect how tall you can be?
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Does Being A Vegetarian Make You Taller
A study done in California compared children that ate standard diets containing meat to children attending a Seventh Day Adventist School that are vegetarian.
The results showed that the vegetarian children were at least as tall if not taller than their meat-eating counterparts.
Age-Adjusted regression analysis actually showed that the vegetarian children were taller on average than meat-eating children. (2.5 cm for boys and 2.0cm for girls)
Does Eating Meat Make You Taller
Eating meat won’t make you taller than someone that doesn’t eat meat.
There are many contributing factors that go into the outcome of your height including genetics and diet.
Meat-eating is only one part of your diet, other macros, vitamins, and minerals are just as important to your overall wellness and stature.
Are Vegans Shorter Than Meat Eaters
A small study done in Europe compared vegan children to meat-eating children and discovered that although the vegans had better heart health and less body fat they were shorter than their meat-eating peers.
A vegan diet can be more challenging than a vegetarian diet that contains eggs and dairy products.
A vegan child can often lack B-12, vitamin D, protein, and calcium which can contribute to smaller and weaker bones.
The good thing is your bones and bone marrow are living things and can be improved with a more complete diet.
A vegan diet can also be extremely healthy and full of nutrients as long as you are planning and eating accordingly.
Do Vegetarians Have Growth Spurts
Vegetarians, vegans, and meat-eaters all experience growth spurts during childhood and adolescence.
Every child will experience their own unique growth spurts regardless of the diet they are consuming.
Does Being A Vegetarian Stunt Your Growth
Being a vegetarian will not stunt your growth but, a lack of nutrition in your diet can.
You do need a well-rounded diet full of vitamins, minerals, and all of the macronutrients.
Lacking in any category can contribute to stunted growth.
How Tall Is The Average Vegetarian
A study was done by the University of Wisconsin comparing the blood pressure and body mass of vegetarians and non-vegetarians.
In their finding, they discovered that the average height for vegetarians was 66.2 inches and for non-vegetarians was 69.3 inches.
This study was extremely same in size, it is interesting to see that their group of participants had a much higher average in height compared to the national average of 62 inches for women and 66 inches for.
There are so many variables that contribute to one’s height, that forming an average number is almost a moot point.
Final Thoughts
I am short and I mean really short 4′ 11 1/2″ to be exact.
I’ve always been short and shorter than average but, I have not always been a vegetarian.
I grew up eating the Standard American Diet and growing at a healthy steady pace, it wasn’t until I was in my mid 20’s that I started to transition into a vegetarian diet.
At that point, I was already done growing in height.
My brother on the other hand is almost 6 ft tall.
Our parents are average in height but, we do have many family members that are over 6 ft tall.
I obviously didn’t get that height.
Moving forward to my children.
I’m obviously short and my husband is of average height.
I was a vegetarian throughout both pregnancies and I am raising my kids on a vegetarian diet.
Our daughter is tall she always has been in the 90th percentile in height. At 9 she is almost as tall as me.
Our son on the other hand has always been in the 5th to 10th percentile in height and is tracking to be average height at this point.
My point in all this is to show how your genetics is a huge factor in your height but, they don’t ensure that you will be tall or short.
The same goes for your diet, in most cases, your diet won’t cause you to be tall or short.