If you don't eat you won't grow

 

The statement of the title of this article is one of the most used threats to force children to eat. However, linking growth with food is false.

A child's growth is 80% dependent on genetic information inherited from her parents. If both are tall, it is very likely that the child is also tall, regardless of whether she eats a lot or few. 

Only in extreme cases of lack of appetite, generally due to manifestations of a disease, can cases of growth decline. That at least in what we call "first world". In underdeveloped countries the diet is not abundant and poor in nutrients, producing a severe limitation in the possible growth of the child.

The remaining 20% ​​of responsibility in the development of a child depends on the environment: if the kid leads a sedentary life or does sports, if the kid rests an adequate number of hours etc. 

In reality, the supposed "threat" could only be true very early in the life of the child, when is a baby,  since at that stage of life 35% of the food received is used to grow.

Nor is it very logical to compare the child's height with other classmates. The growth of children is very uneven. Within the same classroom, there may be differences of eight inches or more, both extremes being perfectly normal. If our son is within the "low" band, the only thing we will do is mortify him for a fact that has nothing to do with food. Height is a problem only if the pediatrician warns us of growth below the percentile.

And how tall will our son be? There are many empirical calculations to know the maximum possible height that the child will be able to reach. They are all mere assumptions and are "broad" enough to support many possible outcomes. The calculation is:

Father's height + Mother's height
------------------------------------------------------ = +/- 9 cm (3.54 inches)
                        2

That is, we add the height of the father and mother, divide by two and add and subtract 9 cm (3.54 inches) to find the margin in which our child will move.

For instance :

Father = 169 cm (66.53 inches, around 5.5 feet) 
Mother = 167cm (65.74 inches, around 5.4 feet)

The child may measure between 161 and 177 cm  (63.38 - 69.68 inches, between 5.28 to 5.8 feet) when reaches adulthood

Another example :

Father = 190 cm (74.8 inches, around 6.2 feet) 
Mother = 177cm (69.68 inches, around 5.8 feeet) 
In this case the minimum would be 174.5 cm and the maximum 192.5 cm (68.7 - 75.78 inches, 5.7 - 6.3 feet)




If this mathematical operation provides a less than optimistic result, in order that the child grows up to the limit set by genetics - or even beyond it - it is best to force her/him to exercise, avoid being a sedentary person and above all to rest an adequate number hours, in addition to eating healthy. The sentence that says that you grow when sleeping is absolutely true...and difficult to practice since the smartphones, tablets and video games substract hours to the kids' sleep.

That will be much more effective than puffing it up on food.