Stephanie Naumoska, 19, was one of 32 women competing in the pageant on Wednesday. Naumoska is 5'11 and weighs 108 pounds, which means her BMI is 15, reports Reuters. The Australian Medical Association is calling for the contest to impose a minimum BMI cut-off of 20. But pageant director Deborah Miller claims Naumoska has a "Macedonian body type," which accounts for her thinness. "They have long, lithe bodies and small bones. It is their body type, just like Asian girls tend to be small," Miller said. Nutritionist Susie Burrell insists that there is no such thing as a "Macedonian body type," saying, 'There is no evidence published anywhere to back up that assertion."

Naumoska was eliminated from the competition last night after appearing in a red string bikini in the swimsuit competition. She said she's very hurt and upset by the controversy, according to The Daily Mail. She said:

'I think that it's horrible... they don't know me, and they don't know what I eat every morning or for lunch or dinner,' she told Australia's Channel Nine.

'They probably think that I don't eat anything, but I do.

'I also think that it's very unfair just to all the other girls out there who have the same body as myself.'

The newly crowned Miss Universe Australia, Rachael Finch, is defending Naumoska, reports News.com.au. "It has been a little overwhelming but I've been saying that Steph is an amazingly nice girl who happens to have a thin figure," she said. "Some girls are just naturally thin and Stephanie is exactly that."

Finch added that she is writing a book for girls who want to build a career in modeling that will emphasize healthy eating. She will compete in the Miss Universe world finals in August.

Miss Universe Australia In "Skinny" Controversy [Reuters]
'Malnourished' Miss Universe Finalist Who Is Just 'Skin And Bones' [The Daily Mail]
New Miss Universe Australia Stands Up For Skinny Stephanie [News.com.au]

In a study that will be published in the Journal of Consumer Research, college students were given two different menus. One had French fries, chicken nuggets, and a baked potato, and the other had the same items plus a salad. The french fries, which were seen as the least healthy item, were three times as popular with students ordering from the menu that had salad as with the other group. "When you consider the healthy option, you say, well, I could have that option," said researcher Keith Wilcox. "That lowers your guard, leading to self-indulgent behavior." [NY Times]

Many companies, including Pepsi, Pizza Hut, and Kraft Foods, are removing high-fructose corn syrup from their ingredients list and replacing it with sugar, reports The New York Times. Sugar was once studied as an addictive substance, blamed for hyperactivity and cavities in children, and had such a bad rap that cereal makers changed the name of products like Sugar Pops to Corn Pops. However, it is now being a promoted as a more natural, healthy ingredient compared to high-fuctuose corn syrup. "Sugar was the old devil, and high-fructose corn syrup is the new devil," said Marcia Mogelonsky, a senior analyst at the market-research company Mintel International.

While some people say sugar tastes better, or prefer cane or beet sugar because it is less processed, most people are turning away from high-fructose corn syrup because they believe it is more fattening than sugar. High-fructose corn syrup started being added to a wide variety of food, including soda, bread, yogurt, and frozen foods in the 1980s because it was easier to transport and cheaper than sugar. The obesity rate in the United States began rising rapidly around the same time and many believe the switch to high-fructose corn syrup is to blame.

However, no major studies have found definitive proof that high-fructose corn syrup is linked to poor health. The Food and Drug Administration considers both sweeteners natural, and the American Medical Association says that there is no difference between syrup and sugar in regard to obesity.

But the new trend is more about marketing than science. "For consumers, their perception is reality," said Jim Sieple, a senior vice president for Log Cabin syrup, which has stopped using high-fructose corn syrup. Michelle Obama helped promote sugar when she said she won't give Sasha and Malia foods made with high-fructose corn syrup. As companies switch back to sugar, they are suggesting that the new recipes are "retro," such as the sugar-based versions of Pepsi and Mountain Dew called Throwback.

The Corn Refiners Association is trying to fight the perception that their product is unhealthy with a website, sweetsurprise.com, and a multimillion dollar ad campaign. The Times says:

In one television advertisement, a mother pours fruit punch into a cup while another scolds her because the punch contains high-fructose corn syrup. When pressed to explain why it is so bad, the complaining mother is portrayed as a speechless fool.

The Sugar Association stopped advertising last year since sugar sales are up and their product is gaining on high-fructose corn syrup for the first time in three decades. In 2007 American adults ate on average 44 pounds of sugar compared to 40 pounds of high-fructose corn syrup. Scientists say the rise in obesity may lie in how large both those numbers are. Dr. Robert H. Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of California, San Francisco says: "The argument about which is better for you, sucrose or HFCS, is garbage. Both are equally bad for your health."

[Image via stock.xchng.]

Sugar Is Back on Food Labels, This Time as a Selling Point [The New York Times]

A study done at the University of Minnesota showed that one in five young women say they eat fast food more than three times a week, while 33% of dudes head out for Mickey D's more than three times a week. It makes me wonder, though, just how accurate these surveys are because they're self-reported by the eaters themselves. I've certainly lied before about what I'm eating to make it sound healthier. Are the men in your life really chowing down on Doritos more than you, or are you an equal opportunity junk food offender?

Diet Survey: Men Eat Meat, Women Eat Veggies [CNN]
Study: Young Men Eating More Fast Food [Minnesota Public Radio]

Related: Cohabitation Is Bad for Women's Health [New York Times]