Not chia, not collagen: the cheap tinned fish nutritionists say midlife women should eat twice a week for bones and brain

Thomas Wilkins • December 11, 2025 16:11

The moment the “superfoods” stopped adding up

The jar cost more than my electricity bill. Rose-gold lid, matte label, promises of “youthful glow” and “joint support” in a font that looked like it did Pilates. I put the collagen powder in my basket anyway, sandwiched between chia seeds and oat milk, because that’s what you do when your knees have started narrating every flight of stairs and you’re waking at 3am wondering vaguely about dementia.

Later that week, I was in a very different aisle in a very ordinary supermarket, staring at a dented tin with a yellow sticker. Sardines in olive oil: 55p. No glow, no botanicals, just a cartoon fish and the faint whiff of cat food. I nearly walked past. Then I remembered a nutritionist quietly saying, “If midlife women ate tinned sardines twice a week, I’d sleep better at night than if they all bought collagen.”

It lodged in my brain like a pebble in a shoe. I went home, put the ludicrous collagen tub next to the humble tin, and did what any mildly anxious, mildly furious woman would do: I started reading the small print.

What I found could save you a lot of money - and might do more for your bones and brain than most of the wellness aisle.

Why midlife women are quietly losing bone and brain power

No one warns you how fast your biology changes gear. One minute you’re rolling your eyes at “menopause chat”, the next your joints ache after a gentle yoga class and your mum is repeating the same story twice before lunch. Menopause isn’t just about hot flushes and mood swings; it’s a structural renovation project.

From your 40s onwards, oestrogen levels start to drop. That hormone isn’t just about periods; it’s a bodyguard for your bones and your brain. Less oestrogen means:

Your bone density naturally declines, raising the risk of osteoporosis and fractures.
Your brain becomes more vulnerable to inflammation and changes in blood flow.
Cholesterol can creep up, nudging up cardiovascular risk.

You do not feel your bones thinning in real time. You might just notice you’re a bit shorter in family photos, or that a friend’s “silly little fall” ends in a broken wrist. Those are the quiet symptoms of decades of under-feeding the skeleton.

Your brain, meanwhile, grumbles more subtly: word-finding issues, foggy mornings, anxiety that feels slightly unhinged from events. None of this means inevitable disaster. But it does mean your 45-year-old body has very different nutritional priorities from your 25-year-old one.

Protein, calcium, vitamin D, omega‑3 fats and B vitamins stop being “nice to have” and become structural.

Meet the unglamorous hero in the tinned aisle

Here’s the thing chia seeds, collagen gummies and turmeric lattes have in common: they’re marketed brilliantly and backed by some science, but they’re often expensive for the amount of useful nutrition you actually absorb.

Tinned sardines, by contrast, are terrible at marketing and excellent at everything else.

A cheap tin of sardines (especially if you eat the soft bones) gives you in one go:

Calcium for bones - often as much as, or more than, a glass of milk.
Vitamin D - crucial for getting that calcium into your skeleton, and lacking for most people in the UK.
Omega‑3 fats (EPA and DHA) - the type your brain actually uses to build and repair cells, not just the plant-based precursor.
High-quality protein - to protect muscle mass, which also supports bone health and metabolism.
Vitamin B12, iodine and selenium - quietly essential for nerve function, thyroid health and antioxidant defence.

They are, in other words, a low-cost package deal of exactly the things a midlife body is crying out for, in forms it can actually use.

One registered nutritionist I spoke to put it bluntly: “If I had to choose between my clients spending £30 a month on collagen or £3 on sardines, I’d pick the fish every time.”

Chia, collagen or sardines: what are you really getting?

Chia seeds and collagen supplements aren’t useless. They’re just often asked to play roles they’re not best cast for.

Here’s the stripped-back version:

Food / supplement	Bones focus	Brain focus
Collagen powder	Gives building blocks (protein) but doesn’t magically become collagen in your bones; no calcium or vitamin D.	No omega‑3; minor indirect benefits via protein intake.
Chia seeds	Some calcium, but plant form; decent fibre and plant ALA omega‑3, which your body converts inefficiently.	ALA is helpful, but only a small fraction becomes the EPA/DHA your brain prefers.
Tinned sardines (with bones)	Direct hit of calcium + vitamin D + protein in highly absorbable forms.	Ready-made EPA and DHA for brain and heart, plus B12 and iodine.

Plant foods absolutely matter for health. They just can’t easily replace certain animal-derived nutrients, especially for bones and the brain. You can cobble together the same effect with fortified milks, separate vitamin D, separate algae omega‑3 and extra protein.

Or you can open a 55p tin twice a week.

Supplements can plug gaps; sardines quietly carpet the whole floor.

How often, how much – and what if you hate them?

Nutrition researchers often talk about aiming for two portions of oily fish a week. For midlife women, that’s a genuinely useful target for long-term bone, brain and heart health.

A portion is roughly 100–140g drain weight - conveniently, around one small tin.
Twice a week is enough to meaningfully shift your average intake of calcium, vitamin D and omega‑3s over time.
You do not have to eat them on their own with a fork while thinking about the sea. In fact, please don’t if that puts you off forever.

If the idea of sardines on toast makes you recoil, start by hiding them:

Sardine tomato pasta: mash a tin into a pan of garlicky tinned tomatoes, add chilli and herbs, toss through wholewheat pasta with a squeeze of lemon.
Mediterranean sardine salad: flake into a bowl with chopped cucumber, olives, red onion and cannellini beans; dress with olive oil and lemon.
Posh fishcakes: mix mashed potato, parsley, lemon zest and finely mashed sardines; form into patties and pan-fry.
On toast with upgrades: toast sourdough, smear with mustard or pesto, layer sliced tomatoes, then sardines, then a little chopped red onion and parsley.

If sardines in oil feel heavy, try those in tomato sauce. If the texture bothers you, mash them more thoroughly. Often it’s the visible bones that spook people; once mashed, they disappear but their calcium does not.

You do not have to love them. You just have to tolerate them twice a week in a form you don’t dread.

What about mercury, sustainability and all the fishy worries?

It’s reasonable to be wary of fish. Headlines about pollution and overfishing aren’t imaginary. The nuance tends to get lost between panic and apathy.

A few grounding points:

Mercury: Smaller oily fish like sardines sit low on the food chain and accumulate far less mercury than big predators such as tuna or swordfish. For most adults, including midlife women, they are considered a low-risk choice.
Sustainability: Many sardine and small-pelagic fisheries are reasonably well-managed. Look for tins with clear origin labelling and, where possible, certifications from trusted bodies. They’re often a better environmental bet than farmed salmon.
Salt content: Some tinned fish are quite salty. If you are watching your blood pressure, check the label and balance the rest of your day’s salt, or rinse the fish lightly before using.
Bones: The soft, edible bones are the calcium jackpot. If you absolutely cannot face them, you still gain plenty from the flesh - you just lose some of the bone-building bonus.

Worried about smell at the office? Eat them at home, batch-cook, or choose dishes where the aroma is diluted, like pasta or fishcakes. Colleagues tend to object less to something that looks and smells like “lunch” rather than “bait”.

Tiny habits that make a big difference over a decade

The frustrating truth is that no single meal will transform your health. The encouraging truth is that tiny, repeated choices will.

For bones and brain, those choices might look like:

Putting two tins of sardines on your weekly shopping list and treating them as non‑negotiable, like toilet roll.
Slotting a “sardine lunch” into a regular day - say, Tuesdays and Fridays - so you don’t rely on willpower.
Pairing them with vitamin C–rich foods (tomatoes, peppers, lemon) to support overall nutrient absorption and keep meals bright.
Keeping your beloved chia seeds and collagen if you enjoy them - but seeing them as extras, not substitutes for basic structural nutrition.

You don’t have to overhaul your diet into something unrecognisable. You can keep your coffee, your glass of wine, your occasional 11pm toast. What your future self will notice is whether your skeleton and nervous system were fed, most weeks, with the building blocks they needed.

There’s a version of your 70‑year‑old self walking up stairs without thinking, remembering names easily, travelling without fearing every pavement crack. She doesn’t know which exact Tuesday you chose sardines over a third supplement.

She just quietly benefits from it.

FAQ:

I’m vegetarian or can’t face fish at all. Am I doomed?
No. You’ll just need to be more deliberate. Focus on calcium from fortified plant milks, tofu set with calcium, leafy greens and sesame; vitamin D from supplements (especially in winter); and algae-based omega‑3 supplements for DHA/EPA. Protein from beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh and dairy or fortified alternatives still matters.

Can I just take an omega‑3 capsule instead?
Omega‑3 capsules can help if you never eat oily fish, but they won’t give you the protein, calcium, vitamin D and B12 bundle that sardines do. Think of capsules as a back‑up, not a full replacement for nutrient-dense meals.

Is it safe to eat tinned fish twice a week long term?
For most healthy adults, yes. Tinned sardines are generally considered low in contaminants and are included in official guidance that encourages regular oily fish. If you have specific medical conditions, are pregnant, breastfeeding or on certain medications, check with your GP or dietitian.

Do I still need dairy if I’m eating sardines?
Not necessarily, but many women find it easier to hit calcium targets with a mix of sources. Sardines plus dairy (or fortified alternatives) can make it much simpler; if you avoid dairy, you’ll just need to be more intentional with other calcium-rich foods.

What if I already take collagen - should I stop?
If you enjoy it and can afford it, there’s no need to panic. Just don’t let it distract you from fundamentals. Prioritise whole-food sources of protein, calcium, vitamin D and omega‑3 first. If money is tight, most nutrition professionals would suggest tinned fish and other basics before specialised supplements.