Why Women's Bodies Need Different Snacks
By Wendy Zhang, PhD · Food Scientist & Founder, SESAShare
Most nutrition research has historically been conducted on male subjects. Dietary guidelines, supplement dosages, and snack formulations were built on male physiology — and then applied to everyone.
Women's bodies have different requirements. Not because women are a special category, but because the research is finally catching up to what biology has always suggested.
The monthly mineral drain
Every month, menstruating women lose iron. This is well-established. What's less discussed is that most women never fully replenish that iron through diet alone — particularly if they're eating the way most nutrition guidelines recommend.
Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency globally, and women are disproportionately affected. Symptoms include fatigue that doesn't resolve with sleep, difficulty concentrating, and hair thinning — all of which are frequently dismissed or attributed to stress.
Magnesium and the cortisol loop
Women are also more likely to experience symptoms of magnesium deficiency, partly because magnesium is depleted by stress and partly because the foods highest in magnesium — seeds, legumes, dark leafy greens — aren't always present in the quantities needed in typical Western diets.
Magnesium plays a role in over 300 enzymatic reactions, including those that regulate cortisol. Low magnesium can worsen anxiety, disrupt sleep, and create a feedback loop that makes stress harder to manage. It doesn't show on a standard blood panel until levels are severely depleted.
Zinc, hair, and hormones
Zinc is the first mineral dermatologists check when women present with unexplained hair thinning. It regulates the growth cycle of hair follicles and inhibits the activity of 5-alpha reductase — the enzyme linked to hormone-related hair loss.
It also supports immune function, wound healing, and hormonal balance. Women's zinc requirements increase during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and absorption is reduced when dietary phytate intake is high.
What SESA was built to address
SESA Black Sesame Crunch was formulated specifically around the minerals women are most likely to fall short on: iron, magnesium, zinc, calcium, copper, and manganese — all present in meaningful amounts in black sesame, pumpkin seeds, chia, and flaxseed.
Per serving: iron 20% DV, magnesium 20% DV, calcium 15% DV, zinc 15% DV, copper 90% DV, manganese 25% DV, protein 5g, fiber 4g — from whole seeds, not additives.
It's not a supplement. It's food — eight ingredients, designed to make it easier to get what your body actually needs.
SESA Black Sesame Crunch launches June 2026. Join the waitlist at sesawellness.com.