Drinking milk behind 19-year-old woman’s ideal height

Currently a student at the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, Minh was a participant at the 2023 Miss Grand Vietnam pageant. She works as a freelance model as well, thanks to her ideal height and body measurements.

Minh’s height and looks help her stand out in a crowd. Photo courtesy of Minh

The young woman has been taller than most of her peers since childhood. She was over 1.7-meters-tall by 16 years old, but her father is only 1.69-meters and her mother is 1.64-meters.

Therefore, Minh believes that the secret behind her outstanding height is a combination of nutrition, exercise, and drinking cow’s milk.

As Minh’s family owns a farm of organic vegetables and dairy cows, she is able to drink fresh milk on a daily basis. She sometimes consumes up to two liters of milk a day. She usually drinks it before breakfast, in the afternoon, and two hours before bed.

According to healthcare news platform Health, milk is a rich source of energy, protein, calcium, and vitamin D, which makes it essential for building and maintaining strong bones and improving bone density. Milk from cows or goats is good for children’s growth, and alternatives like rice, almond, soy, coconut, cashew, and oat milk also assist the development process, said Dr. Le Bach Mai, former Director of the Vietnam National Institute of Nutrition.

The institute recommends an average adult take in between 800-1,000 mg of calcium a day. This can come from food, milk, and other supplements. A 200-ml cup of cow milk contains 240 mg of calcium, therefore, a person can consume two to three cups of milk a day.

Minh learned from the Internet that height is influenced by both nutrition and lifestyle. Critical times for intervention are during the mother’s pregnancy, a child’s two first years, and the pre-puberty period. Parents are advised to provide their children with enough necessary nutrients during these periods, as well as make sure they have enough sleep and frequent exercise.

Minh began exercising frequently in her secondary school years by attending the school’s basketball and handball clubs. She also spends 30 minutes each day doing squats to make her figure even better.

Another habit Minh tries to maintain is to go to sleep early and sleep eight hours a day.

"I always go to bed before 10 p.m. except for when I have to review things to prepare for my exams," she said.

Minh’s height helps her a lot as a freelance model. Photo courtesy of Minh

Regarding her diet habits, Minh follows the "handful diet" rule to stay in shape. News site Good Health describes this rule as a simple method to calculate the amount of food one should eat a day, which is also Minh’s purpose. She eats a fist-sized portion of vegetables and the same amount of protein for a meal. Meanwhile her fat intake each meal equals only a finger in terms of size.

She also drinks 1.5 liters of water every day, besides consuming milk. She avoids soft drinks, salty food, and animal protein as much as possible, while prioritizing eating fiber-rich foods.

She starts every meal by eating vegetables and fruits, then protein food sources, and finally carbohydrate-rich dishes.

Prior to her participation in the Miss Grand Vietnam contest, Minh also applied the intermittent fasting method. Those that follow this method often do not take anything into their bodies for 16 to 24 straight hours. For Minh, she did so twice a week.

"I feel exhausted and find it difficult to concentrate whenever I apply this method so I do not frequently apply it," Minh said.

Minh wants to grow taller by three to five centimeters as she believes it will bring her a better chance of winning beauty pageants. She says it will be a challenge for her, as her busy schedule will make it hard for her to strictly follow her diet rules and have enough sleep, but she will try.

"I have to be determined and strict with myself, as well as combine various rules in diet and exercise to achieve good looks," Minh said.