{"id":147,"date":"2010-02-17T00:00:45","date_gmt":"2010-02-17T04:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/?p=147"},"modified":"2010-02-17T00:00:45","modified_gmt":"2010-02-17T04:00:45","slug":"why-are-the-dutch-so-tall-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/why-are-the-dutch-so-tall-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Why are the Dutch so tall?"},"content":{"rendered":"

As a Dutch woman traveling over the world, one thing always stands out: my height. Although I am not extremely tall in Holland (1.75m), in every other country I am always the giant between the midgets. About 150 years ago the Dutch were one of the smallest people in the world, but now the average height of women is about 5 feet and 7 inches and for men 6 feet and 1 inch.So what happened?<\/span><\/p>\n


\nHardcore proof is still not delivered, but there are some ideas that could explain the growth of the Dutch. One of the most well known theories is that Dutch enjoy a dairy and protein rich diet. Rumor has it that this is what makes the Dutch so tall.<\/span><\/p>\n


\nThe natural law of survival of the fittest and natural selection assumes that the next generation has to be fitter than the one before. This is usually the case, unless abnormal things occur like a shortage of food or extreme weather conditions. So food is important, because it is clear that a shortage of food or bad food would not make the Dutch stronger and taller. But extreme cold or heat are also not beneficial for people. At least not for the Dutch. So it can\u2019t be solely food.<\/span><\/p>\n


\nJ.W. Drukker, a professor of economic history at the university of Groningen came to the same conclusion. Drukker figured that the growth of the Dutch in the mid 19th century, the time where the Dutch shot into the air as eager mushrooms, has a lot to do with the spreading of wealth.<\/span><\/p>\n


\nBefore the grow spurt of the Dutch, the money and the power was in the hands of the elite. The differences between poor and rich were big and only the richest people could afford good food, proper houses, good hygiene systems and health care. But after the establishment of the first liberal democracy the wealth got spread and people got access to all of these good living conditions as well. And so grew the Dutch taller and stronger.<\/span><\/p>\n


\nBut why the Dutch? Other countries developed as well, right? That\u2019s true, but health insurance is available for all the levels of the Dutch society and Holland has one of the best pro- and postnatal care systems in the world. Other rich countries who offer health care only for the wealthy people, for example like the Americans, don\u2019t show by far as much growth or show no growth at all. Bad food makes them grow in horizontal directions, but we all know this is not what we are aiming at when we talk about health\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As a Dutch woman traveling over the world, one thing always stands out: my height. Although I am not extremely tall in Holland (1.75m), in every other country I am always the giant between the midgets. About 150 years ago the Dutch were one of the smallest people in the world, but now the average…<\/p>\n

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