Hair loss seems to be a natural part of life as your body gets older; your hair no longer grows in as thickly as it used to, and the hair that does grow seems to be more prone to falling out at the slightest provocation. But it doesn't have to be that way; if you're suffering from hair loss—or would like to not suffer from it as you get older—here are three hair loss prevention tips.

1. Include the Proper Ingredients in Your Diet

Your hair is protein, and in order to strengthen it, you need to include protein in your diet. While meat is a great source of protein, if you just can't stomach a steak every night (or if you don't eat meat for whatever reason), don't worry; eggs, nuts, broccoli, quinoa, dairy, and many other foods are high in protein and can help you get as much as you need to grow stronger hair and prevent the hair you have from falling out.

Don't forget omega-3 fatty acids, either; omega-3 fatty acids are often present in hair loss serums and can help you grow strong, healthy, glossy hair. Salmon and flaxseed are probably the two easiest ways to incorporate more omega-3 fatty acids into your diet, but you can take them in vitamin form if you have to.

2. De-Stress Your Lifestyle

When people say that they're pulling their hair out over a problem, that hyperbole is actually rooted in the fact that stress and tension can cause your hair to fall out much more easily than it would otherwise. In order to prevent this—and it is totally preventable—lower the stress in your life.

This could mean taking up yoga, learning breathing exercises, asking your spouse to help out around the house more when you start to get stressed, or even just investing in a few stress balls or worry stones. Remember, the calmer you are and the less stressed your brain is, the less stressed your body will be and the more hair that will stay on your head.

3. Be Gentle With Yourself

This may seem like a no-brainer, but it can be surprisingly hard to retrain yourself to be gentle with your hair—after all, your hair used to be able to stand up to a lot more tugging, pulling, twisting, and other manual manipulation than it will be able to handle nowadays.

When you comb your hair the first time in the day, use a wide-tooth comb and start at the bottom, gently working out tangles rather than just shoving the comb through them. Make sure to spray your hair with heat protectant before styling—yes, even if you're just using a blow-dryer—and try not to dye it too often in order to keep it from breaking off due to brittleness.