Nutritionist
Biography
Dr. Hess received Bachelor of Arts degrees in French and English from the University of Texas at Austin and earned a doctoral degree in Human Nutrition from the University of Minnesota. Before joining the USDA ARS Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center (GFHNRC) as a Research Nutritionist, Dr. Hess served as Vice President of Scientific Affairs for the National Dairy Council. She is an active member and volunteer with several nutrition and scientific organizations, including the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), the National Nutrient Databank Conference, and the American Society for Nutrition (ASN), and currently serves as Chair of the Nutrition Translation Research Interest Section with ASN, a member of ASN’s Publications Committee, a member of the Annual Meeting Scientific Program Advisory Panel for IFT, and Content Chair for IFT’s Nutrition Division. She is also an adjunct assistant professor and member of the graduate faculty within the Department of Nutrition & Dietetics at the University of North Dakota.
Research Interests
Dr. Hess’s research is centered on identifying and evaluating strategies to help Americans meet recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Broadly, her work involves investigating how American diets currently align with dietary guidance and recognizing and addressing barriers to following recommendations, including dietary restrictions and dietary and cultural preferences. Recent studies from her lab focus on the role of “ultra-processed” foods in healthy eating patterns, the flexibility of DGA dietary patterns to accommodate a variety of vegetarian and vegan diets throughout adulthood including during pregnancy and lactation, and the ability of diets comprised of traditional Indigenous foods to meet contemporary nutrient recommendations.
Research Accomplishments
- Established that healthy dietary patterns aligned with recommendations from the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) can contain >90 % energy from “ultra-processed foods” as defined by the NOVA system
- Demonstrated that the food patterns recommended for adults by the 2020 DGA can be modified to accommodate vegan, egg-free, dairy-free, pescatarian, and “pesca-vegan” diets with minimal impact on nutrient adequacy, including during pregnancy and lactation
- Developed a multidisciplinary collaboration to identify foods traditionally consumed (pre-1851) by Indigenous communities in the Northern Great Plains and designed a healthy dietary pattern using these foods that resonates with modern consumer palates and food preparation practices
- Established that whole- and reduced-fat dairy products can be included in recommended USDA food patterns from the 2015 DGA with minimal impacts on energy and saturated fat intake
- Determined the lowest cost food sources for nutrients of public health concern (calcium, potassium, vitamin D, and fiber) in the American diet
- Established that “snacking” as an eating occasion was poorly defined in the nutrition literature and that, in cross-sectional studies, “snacks” were largely comprised of nutrient-poor foods, indicating an important opportunity to encourage nutrient-dense choices
Curriculum Vitae (PDF)
Dietary and Physical Activity Guidance for Weight Loss and Maintenance In-House Appropriated (D) Accession Number:435947 
Food Systems Approach to Understanding the Impact of Pulses on Human Health In-House Appropriated (D) Accession Number:445763 Preparation and Presentation of Indigenous Foods Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement (S) Accession Number:445738
will take you to the publication reprint.)
-(Other)
Hess, J.M. 2024. Reply to van elswyk et al. Journal of Nutrition. 154(4):1474-1475. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2024.01.027. -(Review Article)
Lundquist, H., Slavin, J., Hess, J.M., Comeau, M.E. 2024. Cow’s milk as an important source of iodine for prenatal health and switching to plant-based milk can lead to iodine insufficiencies. Journal of Dairy Science Communications. 5(3):181-184. https://doi.org/10.3168/jdsc.2023-0424. -(Peer Reviewed Journal)
Hess, J.M., Comeau, M.E., Swanson, K., Burbank, M. 2023. Modeling ovo-vegetarian, lacto-vegetarian, pescatarian, and vegan usda food patterns and sssessing nutrient adequacy for lactation among adult females. Current Developments in Nutrition. 7(12):1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2023.102034. -(Other)
Hess, J.M. 2023. Response to an ultra-processed diet meeting national dietary guidelines valid and fit for purpose. Journal of Nutrition. 153(12):1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.10.020. -(Other)
Hess, J.M., Zhu, Y. 2023. Editorial: secondary analysis of national nutrition surveys: from science to policy. Frontiers in Nutrition. 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2023.1297915. -(Review Article)
Hess, J.M., Comeau, M.E., Fossum, D.L., Scheett, A.J. 2023. What exactly are “ultra-processed” foods? Can they be part of a healthy diet?. ADCES in Practice. 1-4. https://doi.org/10.1177/2633559X231202795.
Hess, J.M. 2023. Defining ultra-processed foods. Nutrition meeting July 22-25, 2023. Nutrition-Translation Research Interest Section (NT-RIS).
Hess, J.M. 2023. Building healthy dietary patterns with ultra-processed foods. FoodFluence Conference (vitural follow-up presentation July 13, 2023). -(Peer Reviewed Journal)
Hess, J.M., Comeau, M.E., Casperson, S.L., Slavin, J., Johnson, G.H., Messina, M., Raatz, S., Scheet, A.J., Bodensteiner, A., Palmer, D. 2023. Dietary guidelines meet NOVA: developing a menu for a healthy dietary pattern using ultra-processed foods. Journal of Nutrition. 153(8):2472-2481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.06.028.
Hess, J.M. 2023. Ultra-processed foods in healthy dietary patterns. International Food Information Council Mid-Year Meeting, Washington, D.C.
Hess, J.M. 2023. Building healthy dietary patterns with ultra-processed foods. IFANS Food Classification Workshop, Washington, D.C.
Hess, J.M. 2023. Ultra-processed foods in healthy dietary patterns. Presentation to Nestle Global Public Affairs, Nutrition Research Center. -(Other)
Hess, J.M. 2023. Dietary supplements are an important nutrient source for older Americans- what does this mean for dietary guidance?. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 118(1):3-4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.04.028.
Hess, J.M. 2023. Nutrition and wellness. University of Minnesota CFANS presentation.
Hess, J.M. 2023. Ultra-processed dga: building healthy dietary patterns with ultra-processed foods. Institute of Food Technologists meeting, Chicago, IL.
Hess, J.M. 2023. Developing a healthy dietary pattern with ultra-processed foods. Institute of Food Technologists Meeting, Washington D.C. -(Peer Reviewed Journal)
Hess, J.M., Comeau, M.E. 2023. Modeling lacto-vegetarian, pescatarian, and 'pescavegan' USDA Food patterns and assessing nutrient adequacy for healthy, non-pregnant, non-lactating adults. Frontiers in Nutrition. 10. Article 113792. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2023.1113792.
Hess, J.M. 2023. Dietary guidelines for americans meets ultra-processed foods. FoodFluence Conference, New Orleans, LA.
Hess, J.M. 2023. Current evidence on front of pack labeling in the U.S. FoodFluence Conference, New Orleans, LA. -(Peer Reviewed Journal)
Casperson, S.L., Jahns, L.A., Larson, K.J., Hess, J.M., Palmer, D., Roemmich, J.N. 2023. Sensitivity of pressure-mediated reflection spectroscopy to detect dose-dependent changes in skin carotenoids: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Nutrition. 153(2):588-597. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.01.002. -(Peer Reviewed Journal)
Casperson, S.L., Scheett, A., Palmer, D.G., Jahns, L., Hess, J.M., Roemmich, J.N. 2023. Biochemical validation of a self-administered carotenoid intake screener to assess carotenoid intake in non-obese adults. Current Developments in Nutrition. 7(2):1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2022.100024. -(Peer Reviewed Journal)
Cifelli, C.J., Fulgoni, K., Fulgoni, V.L., Hess, J.M. 2022. Disparity in dairy servings intake by ethnicity and age in NHANES 2015-2018. Current Developments in Nutrition. 7(2). Article 100010. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2022.100010. -(Review Article)
Hess, J.M. 2022. Understanding the link between frequency of eating and cardiometabolic health outcomes in Americans who "snack". Journal of Dairy Science Communications. 3(6):462-466. https://doi.org/10.3168/jdsc.2022-0289. -(Peer Reviewed Journal)
Hess, J.M., Comeau, M.E. 2022. Application of dairy-free vegetarian and vegan USDA Food Pattern Models for non-pregnant, non-lactating healthy adults. Journal of Food Science. https://doi.org/10.1111/1750-3841.16314. -(Peer Reviewed Journal)
Hess, J.M. 2022. Modeling dairy-free vegetarian and vegan USDA food patterns for non-pregnant, non-lactating adults. Journal of Nutrition. Article nxac100. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxac100.
Hess, J.M. 2022. Nutrition and wellness. University of Dakota (virtual) March 1.
Hess, J.M. 2021. Building a nutrition science research career. Nutrition & Dietetics Course 494 at Univeristy of North Dakota (virtual).
