Foods That Stunt Your Growth Slideshow

We all know that a diet that is heavy on junk food can lead to a host of problems for children such as diabetes and obesity, but junk food can also stunt growth. Junk food lacks the proper nutrients that children need to develop fully. Therefore, junk food like potato chips should be a very small part of children's diets. 

Some studies have shown that kids who consume more phosphorous, which is found in soda, have lower bone density. Also, when children consume the empty calories found in things like soda, they are less likely to consume the nutrients they need to grow properly. So just like junk food, soda consumption should be limited. 

OK, don't panic, the rice you made for dinner last night isn't going to prevent your kids from growing, but a diet high in carbohydrates and low in protein has been shown to stunt the growth of children. However, children who have a varied diet that consists of both carbohydrates and protein are the mostly like to reach their full height as adults. 

While corn in and of itself doesn't stunt growth, it can develop molds called aflatoxins that seem to inhibit growth in very young children. Aflatoxins develop when corn is stored improperly in warm, humid places. These molds also grow on improperly stored chiles, peanuts, tree nuts, and wheat. In order to prevent your food from producing these molds, make sure to store your food properly. 

There is a lot of debate as to whether soy stunts growth, but unfermented soy, like soy milk, yogurt, and tofu, contains phytic acid, which does reduce the absorption of calcium. Since calcium is essential for bone growth, too much unfermented soy could affect the growth of children.

Although alcohol is technically not a food, it deserves attention because it is unfortunately consumed by a lot of kids who have not fully developed. Some studies have suggested that alcohol consumption can stunt growth so it is very important to make sure that growing kids stay away from alcohol.

Whether it's ice cream, cookies, or cake, kids want to consume as many sugary foods as possible. But it seems that children who have a diet high in sugar tend to be shorter than children who have diets that are low in sugar. So just remember that while the occasional ice cream cone isn't going to stunt a child's growth, too much sugar is definitely a bad thing.