How To Grow Taller?

Am I short? How can I grow taller?

• I want to apologise for the long post in advance but I just wanted to make sure that I give a detailed description and that I ask everything that I wanted to. I never had issues with my height until the past couple of years or so, as most of the people around me, apart from my family, are taller than me. I am 17 and I am about 170-171cm (roughly 5'7") tall. I took a look at some of the other questions that people asked about height, but it is a different situation for everyone so I decided to ask one myself as I haven't actually found an answer. I am very hairy and have been for about 3 or 4 years now. I started shaving at 14 and I have only grown about 2 centimetres (three quarters of an inch) a year since then, apart from the past 12 months in which I haven't grown anything. I know that people say that you can grow until you are 21, but I honestly doubt that I will as I am already fully hairy and haven't grown in a year. My father is the same height as me and my mother is 163 cm (roughly 5'4") tall. My grandparents are also quite short, the only "tall" (or relatively taller rather) person in my family is my maternal uncle, who is 180 cm (5'11"). My brother, who is a year and a half younger than me is about an inch taller than I am. Overall, this would not bother me as there are a lot of people who are shorter than me and I do not think that height matters too much. The only problem is that I have realised that a lot of girls are taller than me. That wouldn't bother me either, the problem is that it is the girls who find it "weird" going out or hooking up with a guy who is shorter than them. I wouldn't care too much if it weren't for this. I really want to grow another 3 or 4 inches and I have heard that it is possible without taking any experimental substances (I would rather be short than take any of that). My question is whether any of you know any techniques that actually work and can make you at least a couple of inches taller. I know that a lot of people say correct posture and so on, but that only makes you look taller and unfortunately it is not a drastic change either. I eat healthily, although I do have to admit that I don't exercise on a regular basis. Are there any foods that can help you grow? I was also thinking about going to the gym and working out to build some muscles as I need to put some weight on. Would this stunt my growth (if I will grow at all)? Should I wait until I am at least 18 or 19? I am sorry for the long post and the series of questions but I just wanted to make sure that I have all my queries in one place in the hope that someone will answer them. Thank you very much in advance!

• Answer:

  Exercise is good, but it won't increase your height. Young men can grow until they are around 20 and the genes your maternal uncle are in the melting pot somewhere. To reach your full potential eat tryptophan rich foods... Tryptophan is a routine constituent of most protein-based foods or dietary proteins. It is particularly plentiful in chocolate, oats, dried dates, milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, red meat, eggs, fish, poultry, sesame, chickpeas, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, spirulina, and peanuts. Tryptophan is an amino acid that is converted to serotonin, which increases HGH (Human Growth Hormone) during sleep. And that's about it. You will grow as tall and as quickly as your genes dictate. Fixed for ever at the moment of conception. All that can disrupt this is severe illness or severe malnutrition in childhood.