I feel bad for it

As I was working on a job application yesterday, I checked an online thesaurus for synonyms for the word "eating" in order to make my cover letter less repetitive (also because fancy! and pretentious!).  And I noticed that the vast majority of synonyms had negative connotations.  Gluttony.  Devouring.  Overindulgence.  Pigging out.  The few that didn't were merely neutral. 

It's a pretty good indicator of the problems today's society has with eating and diet and perception of weight.  Eating isn't just the way you fuel your body, it has to be wrapped up in self-flagellation and insecurity. 

Which is all bullshit.  If people were less set on food being a problem and could simply see it as what it is, an energy source, it would greatly reduce the amount of stress on a huge portion of society. 

Do I feel better if I eat mostly plants with moderate amounts of healthy fat?  Yes.  Do I feel better if I only eat what's "good" for me and avoid certain foods completely?  No.  Having been obsessed with diet and weight and society's expectations for a good portion of my life (like most people today), I now realize that this attitude is part of the problem. 

Food is just food.  It's not something to feel guilty about.  The more I try to avoid eating that piece of chocolate, the more I end up eating other crap, until I've had far more calories than I would have if I'd just eaten it.  Enough already. 

Social constructs are responsible for a lot of issues.  They tell me I'm fat due to personality flaws, that it just takes a bit of willpower, I'm not trying hard enough, come jump on yet another money-making low-self-esteem bandwagon fad diet.  Nothing about how nature causes the body to react to dieting (turns out it's starvation in disguise) by increasing hunger and maximising enjoyment of taste and slowing down metabolism.  So, thanks for that.  Gotta love the status quo.