I like the idea of a requirement to eat food/rations (would make finding a crate full of food more exciting and useful), but only for a Hard Mode setting. Same with triggering random encounters for resting in the wilderness.
Another note on those food consumables everywhere, it seems like they're worth way too much gold. You can sell a couple hundred apples in exchange for amazing magical gear? Seems like a whacked out exchange rate
I concur somewhat with the inventory issues, but I'd go in the direction of a "Take all and add to wares", reducing the value of junk items, and/or a more limited inventory. Right now I feel obligated to steal all the potatoes of Faerun to sell for all that sweet ass coin, even though I can literally just pickpocket all the items I want from the traders anyway... The item value thing would be less necessary if there were limited inventory space, therefore you wouldn't be picking up everything.
