We know how important it is to our overall well-being to stay healthy, be fit, and keep our bones strong. When it comes to having a slim body and getting healthy, there’s no better place to start than with natural ingredients. Natural ingredients are great for you at any age, but eat the right ones at the right times, and you’ll have a natural defense against many problems facing your body.

Natural Ingredients You Must Have In Your 20s

Boost Bones with Calcium

This decade marks your last shot at building bone mass. According to government research, more than half of women in their 20s get less than the 1,000 mg of calcium they need to do that. Most healthy eaters easily bank about 500 mg. Make up the difference with a daily 500 mg calcium supplement, either a pill or chocolate chew. Natural ingredients can provide calcium but, in this case, a supplement is wise.

Prep for Pregnancy With Folate

Up to 70% of neural tube birth defects (like spina bifida) could be prevented if moms-to-be consumed enough of this B-Vitamin. Don’t wait until you see those two pink lines: Folate (and folic acid, the synthetic form found in supplements and fortified foods) begins boosting babies’ development in the days and weeks just after conception, when most women don’t even know they’ve conceived. If you want to return to a slim body after delivery, be sure and include lots of natural ingredients in your diet at this stage of your life.

Natural Ingredients You Must Have In Your 30s

Fight Fatigue With Iron

You’re juggling work, relationships, and kids – no wonder you’re tired! But that fatigue may also stem from low iron stores, common among women in their 20s and 30s who don’t eat much meat and, as a result, don’t hit the 18mg recommended daily allowance. Though your body soaks up the most iron from animal protein, you’ll absorb more from other natural ingredients, like plant foods, by pairing them with those rich in vitamin C, like red peppers or strawberries.

Help Your Heart with Omega-3s

Eating these fats regularly can slash your risk for heart disease by lowering triglycerides. If you’re pregnant, omega-3 fatty acids may improve your baby’s brain and eye development, and help prevent postpartum depression. Meet your daily requirement of 0.5g-1g a day by eating at least two servings a week of low-mercury fish.

Natural Ingredients You Must Have In Your 40s

Feel Full with Fiber

Having trouble shedding extra pounds and regaining your former slim body? Your metabolism is dipping along with your muscle mass. Your new best friend: fiber, which can make you feel full while you’re eating less. Plus, fiber helps fend off constipation, which becomes more common with age.

Lower BP with Potassium

It’s common for blood pressure to start creeping up with age, but if you take action now, you may never need meds. Potassium doesn’t just help lower elevated BP levels, it also works against sodium’s BP-raising effects.

Age Gracefully with Antioxidants

There’s solid evidence that eating foods rich in antioxidants may help reduce the risk of cognitive decline – even dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, according to a review from the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging. These natural plant compounds may actively make your mind sharper by blocking reactions that can damage the cells found in brain tissue.

Natural Ingredients You Must Have In Your 50s+

Fend Off Disease with D

Every cell in the body requires vitamin D to function, which may be why it’s been linked to such a broad range of health benefits, from lowering cancer risk to warding off depression. Getting the minimum daily 400IU is especially important now: by your 50s, you may be making as little as 30% of what you did when you were a kid from the same sun exposure.

Natural ingredients are shown throughout the lifecycle to provide better protection against oxidative stress and resulting diseases. Experts recommend finding superfoods that include calcium, folate, iron, omega 3-s, fiber, potassium, vitamin D and antioxidants. In addition to the health benefits, natural ingredients will help support that slim body we all desire.