Every morning, when she wakes up-usually around 6 a.m.-Mary Abbott Hess spends a few minutes lying in bed, visualizing what she wants to get done during the day.
Maybe it`s a talk she`s giving about fad diets or more research she wants to do on cholesterol or a group of consumers she`s going to take through a local supermarket. Whatever, she visualizes the action in her mind; she visualizes herself doing it and doing a good job at it.
That`s creative visualization, a meditation technique that has gained considerable attention. There`s even a book that has been written about it. But Hess has been doing it for years, long before the practice got a name.
Mary Hess of Winnetka is a woman who has been ahead of her time in many ways, although that`s not quite the way she puts it. She calls it ”being in the right place at the right time.”
Ten years ago, she started a nutrition consulting and education business with Anne Hunt. Ten years ago, most people were still just eating, without regard to how food might affect the body and the mind. Steaks tasted good grilled over charcoal; salt was applied liberally from the shaker; sugared cereals were a breakfast of choice, and preservatives? What were they?
All that has changed drastically in the last decade. Steaks grilled over charcoal taste no less wonderful, but consumers are far more aware that what they put in their body has deeper implications than pleasing the palate. The need for solid nutrition information has become a national passion.
Hess started the right business at the right time.
Food affects health
”There`s been an enormous growth of awareness, people have finally gotten the message that what they eat affects their health,” she says.
”People who didn`t used to care are asking questions now. Maybe it`s because we`re all getting older, people are saying, `well, before I have a heart problem, I`d better do something.`
”Our timing was good.”
Hunt has been the behind-the-scenes partner (her description), the partner with the English degree and a home economics degree and a knack of communicating through words. Hess has been the on-the-front-line partner, the registered dietitian obsessed with the desire to research and educate. The two women met when Hunt was one of Hess`s students at Mundelein College, where she taught nutrition courses from 1972 to 1979. Their interests and strengths complemented each other.
Their work has ranged from writing books (”Pickles & Ice Cream: The Complete Guide to Nutrition During Pregnancy”) to consulting with such clients as Weight Watchers, Quaker Oats and the Chicago Board of Education.
After 10 years of this successful partnership, Mary Hess is betting that her timing is right again.
She`s the new president-elect of the American Dietetic Association, a national 58,000-member group headquartered in Chicago that certifies dietitians and is an informational clearinghouse for consumers and businesses. That`s a somewhat dry definition for an organization that deals with food and health-hardly dry subjects-that now has a president-elect who is a dynamo of diversified interests.
Different kind of dietitian
With her level of energy, Hess probably could put some shake, rattle and roll in the dullest of groups. Putting her at the head of a large organization that deals with a subject whose time has come could be a combustible combination. It may even accelerate the process of placing nutrition squarely into the area of public awareness.
”Dietitians have traditionally been purists, not involved with the commercial world,” says partner Anne Hunt. ”But our position has been helping people make choices in food stores, and that`s exactly what she`ll do. Mary is not afraid of tough situations.”
Like most dietitians today, Hess doesn`t even come close to fitting yesteryear`s stereotype of the prim person responsible for planning bland institutional meals around the basic food groups.
It goes without saying that she`s interested in those basic food groups;
but she`s also interested in getting a massage every week, having manicures, racing the five horses that she and her husband own, cooking meals that are adventurous as well as healthful and having the family around the dinner table at night-in short, keeping a balance in life.
”That`s the challenge, balance,” she says. ”The three (parts of life), that I try to balance are, work hard, have fun and make a difference. I`ve given up perfection as a goal, but I feel I have an opportunity and obligation to make a difference.”
The difference she wants to make during her two-year stint with the American Dietetic Association-this year as president-elect, next year as president-is making the association a highly visible, accessible organization both to the general public and to the food industry.
Nutritional hotline
To that end, an ADA adjunct called the National Center for Nutrition and Dietetics will open its doors in March at 216 W. Jackson Blvd. Its services will include a nutritional hotline and, like a library with a good reference department, its staff will be on hand to develop information and answer questions for both the industry and the public.
Dietitians could and should have the same sort of high-powered impact on a person`s well-being as a doctor, Hess believes.
We are living in a time when people are fascinated with food, yet they still know relatively little about how it affects the body. Food needs can be as individual as thumbprints. Oat bran is not a cure-all; nor is any fad food or diet. Hess wants to be part of a trend that will vitalize the role of nutritionists in people`s lives.
”It only makes sense that when a person has a nutrition question, they should ask a dietitian rather than a pharmacist or a friend. . . I see this as a challenge, and now I`m in a position to help make that happen,” she says.
Hess`s energy and positive approach come naturally.
She grew up in Florida with a mother who was a general contractor and builder and a father who was an attorney and thought it was fine that his wife was not quite traditional.
Influences in Hess` life
”A working woman, especially in Miami Beach, was a rarity. And here my mother was, building subdivisions, a jail, managing real estate. . . My father realized if he wanted a happy wife, it would be a wife with a career.
”I think my thought processes were: my mother is a bootstrapper, if you want something, go for it and make it happen. If there are barriers, well, climb higher. Don`t say, `poor me.` ”
There was another major influence in Hess`s early life.
”One of my mother`s friends was a very wonderful cook. In high school we would have sorority meetings in her kitchen, a very large, all-white kitchen, before anyone had all-white kitchens. She would make these wonderful displays of food.
”That was Maida Heatter (the famous cook, known primarily for her dessert cookbooks). She was a working mom and she was doing something I was interested in. I didn`t think I would ever be interested in people calling me with their plumbing problems (like her mother), but I thought food could be an area I would like to explore.
”From the minute I walked in the door at college (Simmons College, Boston), it was foods and nutrition I wanted to study.”
She couldn`t cook
Ironically, even though she received her degree in institutional management and dietetics, she didn`t learn how to cook until she got married. She knew all about food, she loved to eat, but she hadn`t yet learned how to make those wonderful meals.
”I was used to eating very good food, but not used to making it. I got married the week after I graduated, and Peter learned that first week that I didn`t know how to cook. It was the same week he learned that I knew as much about doing laundry as he did. Nothing.”
Part of her reputation now is that of an excellent cook. Good eating can and should be exciting and fun-and also an important part of family and friendship. It`s all part of that balance she talks about.
”My husband loves to eat. He`s not interested in nutrients, but he is interested in having something on his plate that looks good and tastes wonderful and food is something we enjoy together.
”And in our family, we sit down as a family together at dinner. I think that`s important. Of course, when I started traveling a bit, my eldest (the Hesses have two daughters, now 19 and 17) thought it was the greatest thing in the world that she could open a can of ravioli for dinner; the grass is always greener sort of thing.”
Tough but flexible
Hess is both tough and flexible.
”She`s a black-and-white person as opposed to gray when it comes to making decisions,” Anne Hunt says. ”She looks at all the facts and figures, does her homework-and it`s unusual, that not many people really take the time to do that-and then she comes to a decision. She doesn`t have a lot of preconceived ideas. Especially in health and nutrition, where new evidence is always coming along, she looks so carefully at everything.”
Case in point: Hess and Hunt were going to do a paper on caffeine. Preliminary research made them decide that they had better stop drinking coffee. ”But then we found out there just wasn`t the evidence, not the health threat we had been hearing. Mary keeps digging,” Hunt says. ”I think this situation with cholesterol is another case, the evidence is changing. And Mary will stay on top of it.
”She not only reads the popular press, she gets the research. She goes beyond the figurehead and says what she thinks, even when it`s not what people might want to hear.”
Hess had a personality evaluation done recently by an industrial pyschologist, which she thought was a good idea in helping her think through her goals.
”He said I rated high in leadership and team work, and that I was at the top of the scale when it came to being competitive.
”I said, `no, I`m not competitive.` He said, `yes, you are.` I said, `to me, being competitive means being better than anyone, wanting to win at any cost.` My competitiveness is not like that, it`s internal. I want to be the best I can and I want to have fun doing it.”
TWO MARY HESS FAVORITES The following recipes are some of those that are favorites of Mary Abbott Hess:
GRILLED CHICKEN WITH SPICY THAI DIPPING SAUCE
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Marinating time: 2 to 3 hours
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 3-pound chicken, cut up
1/2 small red bell pepper, chopped, about 1/3 cup
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon crushed red hot pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 fresh lime, cut in thin slices, for garnish
Several sprigs of cilantro, for garnish
1. Marinate the chicken pieces in lemon juice for several hours.
2. In a blender puree the red bell pepper with vinegar. In a smal saucepan combine pepper-vinegar blend, sugar and red pepper flakes. Simmer the sauce 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let the sauce cool.
3. Drain chicken and rub with garlic and sprinkle with salt. Broil chicken on rack of broiler pan about 6 inches away from heat, turning every five minutes, about 20 minutes total.
4. Garnish chicken with lime slices. Serve with individual small ramekins of dipping sauce topped with cilantro.
ITALIAN BREAD SALAD
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Standing time: 4 to 5 hours
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
1 1 pound loaf firm Italian bread
4 small red onions, thinly sliced
1 cucumber, pared and sliced
4 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 small head romaine lettuce torn into bite size pieces
10 fresh basil leaves or 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1. Remove bread crust and cut or tear bread into cubes. Let bread stand uncovered until it dries out, about 3 hours.
2. Sprinkle bread with about 1 cup of cold water. Bread should be wet but not soggy. Refrigerate several hours.
3. Place bread cubes in large salad bowl and mix with salad ingredients. Drizzle with dressing and toss just before serving.
