# Healthy Living ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 4, 2004, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healthy-living/278076 "2004-12-04T17:22:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2004, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healthy-living/278076/1 "2004-12-04T17:22:08Z")
Without any social engineering, I’ve noticed over the past 30 years that people are getting taller and taller. Why? Never mind that life expectancy keeps rising as well. Could it be that the onset of fast food restaurants like McDonald’s is responsible ? ---
**Author:** ![Freyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freyr/32/5763_2.png) [@Freyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freyr)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2004, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healthy-living/278076/2 "2004-12-04T17:35:52Z")
> [@grienspace](#): > > Without any social engineering, I’ve noticed over the past 30 years that people are getting taller and taller. > > Why? > > Never mind that life expectancy keeps rising as well. > > Could it be that the onset of fast food restaurants like McDonald’s is responsible ? I’d say better nutriution in general, rather than specifically pointing at fast food. Kids, in the US at least, have a better chance at getting adequate nutrituion, especially during the growth years. By adequate, I’m saying they’re getting enough calories and proteins, etc. Yes, more fat, too, unfortuntaely. Also, many diseases that can stunt childhood growth are very rare in the US. I’m not saying a fast-food diet is good for you, rather compared to countries where childhood nutrition is poor, it’s a lot better than what those poor kids are getting. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2004, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healthy-living/278076/3 "2004-12-04T18:05:36Z")
What **Freyr** said. Having plenty of protein and essential fatty acids in the diet during infancy and childhood really enable the body to develop to maximum potential from a growth standpoint. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2004, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healthy-living/278076/4 "2004-12-04T18:06:11Z")
> [@Freyr](#): > > I’d say better nutriution in general… Except in now appears that the [nutrition in our vegetables](http://www.utexas.edu/cons/news/davis_crops.html) has declined considerably over the past 50 years. > [@](#): > > A recent study of 43 garden crops led by a University of Texas at Austin biochemist suggests that their nutrient value has declined in recent decades while farmers have been planting crops designed to improve other traits. > [@Freyr](#): > > Kids, in the US at least, have a better chance at getting adequate nutrituion, especially during the growth years. Have you got any kids? My kids won’t even hardly eat anything Mom or I laboriously prepare for them. We have tons of fish in the freezer and vegetables in the fridge but they won’t bite. Constantly harrassing us to eat out while pulling processed microwave crap out of the fridge. My wife and I ate a lot healthier than our eldest daughter during the growth years and the eldest daughter is 6 inches taller than Mom and as tall as I am. Looks like my 13 year old daughter will signicantly pass Mom as well. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2004, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healthy-living/278076/5 "2004-12-04T18:09:33Z")
Oh I see. I had always thought the early teenage years were the growth years. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2004, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healthy-living/278076/6 "2004-12-04T18:17:50Z")
> [@grienspace](#): > > Have you got any kids? My kids won’t even hardly eat anything Mom or I laboriously prepare for them. We have tons of fish in the freezer and vegetables in the fridge but they won’t bite. Constantly harrassing us to eat out while pulling processed microwave crap out of the fridge. My wife and I ate a lot healthier than our eldest daughter during the growth years and the eldest daughter is 6 inches taller than Mom and as tall as I am. Looks like my 13 year old daughter will signicantly pass Mom as well. God, ain’t it the truth! my 6 yo boy hardly eats anything at all and most of that is nothing but carbs…yet he’s 51" tall; he grew an inch in the last 4 months! If he actually ate a healthy diet with plenty of protein, would he be 5’ tall already? :eek: