The Calcium Conversation Midlife Women Deserve: Why Food-Based Nutrition Changes Everything

WOMEN'S HEALTH

Oct 7

Supporting Bone Health in Midlife — and Why Most Supplements Fall Short

As women in midlife, we focus so much on our hormones, sleep, energy, and mood — but what about our bones?

Bone health often sits quietly in the background until a DEXA scan or a sudden ache brings it front and center. The truth is, bone loss begins long before menopause, and what we do in our 40s and 50s can shape our strength and mobility for decades to come.

When I came across Seen Nutrition, founded by pharmacist Dr. Jennifer Han, I knew it was a story worth sharing. Her journey — from postpartum osteoporosis to creating a first-of-its-kind, food-based calcium chew — is exactly the kind of innovation midlife women deserve.

Learn more

A Diagnosis That Changed Everything

Jennifer’s story began not in a lab, but at home - two months postpartum, breastfeeding, and suddenly experiencing sharp back pain. What her doctors initially dismissed as “posture changes” turned out to be pregnancy and lactation-associated osteoporosis.

Multiple spinal fractures. At 30 years old.

That diagnosis changed her life — and revealed a massive gap in women’s health.

Despite her background as a clinical pharmacist, Jennifer realized that women were being given outdated, poorly absorbed supplements made from chalk, limestone, and artificial fillers. She wanted something cleaner, more effective — something she would feel confident taking herself.

Rethinking Calcium: From Chalk to Real Food

What began as personal research turned into a company. Jennifer teamed up with Adrienne Bittar, a food studies lecturer at Cornell University, and together they developed the first patented food-based calcium chew made entirely from real ingredients.

Each chew contains:

Milk minerals — the natural source of calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus found in bone
Vitamin D mushrooms — one of the only plant-based foods that generate vitamin D naturally
Dates and almonds — for natural sweetness and texture, without added sugar

“We’re not trying to recreate what’s in food,” Jennifer says. “We’re using food itself.”

Unlike synthetic calcium carbonate or citrate, food-based calcium offers superior absorption and because these chews are made from real food, they’re regulated under FDA Nutrition Facts, not Supplement Facts, meaning greater oversight and transparency.

Why Food-Based Supplements Matter for Women

As a pharmacist and midlife women’s health coach, I often tell my clients: if you can get your nutrients from food, do it. But that’s not always possible. Between busy schedules, changing appetites, and decreased absorption during perimenopause and menopause, nutrition gaps happen.

That’s where food-based supplementation comes in — not as a replacement for a balanced diet, but as a way to fill the gaps with integrity and intention.

Jennifer’s approach mirrors this perfectly. Her company’s tagline says it all: “Food is medicine when it comes to prevention.”

It’s not about replacing medical treatment it’s about strengthening your foundation so you need less of it later.

The Midlife Connection: Strength, Stability, and Self-Care

By our 40s, bone density begins to decline more rapidly, especially as estrogen levels fluctuate. This can lead to osteopenia and osteoporosis, both of which increase the risk of fractures and frailty later in life.

But here’s the good news: you can change that trajectory.
Simple, consistent habits like resistance training, adequate protein intake, and high-quality calcium and vitamin D make a measurable difference.

Bone health isn’t about fear. It’s about foresight.

And when you can get your nutrients from real food, in a form that fits your lifestyle: no horse pills, no added sugars, no dyes -that’s a win for midlife women everywhere.

Seen, Supported, and Strong

Dr. Han named her company Seen Nutrition for a reason: because too often, women feel invisible in their health journeys postpartum, perimenopausal, or beyond.

Her mission is to make women feel seen again through transparency, education, and solutions designed for the realities of modern life.

As she told me during our conversation,

“We want women to feel seen in all stages of life postpartum, perimenopause, menopause, and beyond.”

That’s the energy midlife women need more of.

My Takeaway

Bone health isn’t just about what’s inside your body it’s about how you live, move, and show up for yourself every day.

The small actions you take now can shape your strength for years to come. Whether that’s strength training, adding protein to your meals, or reaching for a food-based calcium chew instead of another synthetic supplement, you’re building resilience — one choice at a time.