Originally Posted by Melgrimm
..Food giving you at least an hour buff would simulate habitual eating, ..

They could even add a periodical "starving" debuff to emphasize the need of eating.
Like -1 constitution if a char is starving (or a stronger one: -1 cons every hour to a maximum of -3). The debuff goes away if you eat something.. Every food may have a different duration depending on the crafting required (cooked food in this case lasts longer + better buff).