Minecraft wiki entry for Beginner%27s_guide, associated text: If you are staying at full health, and not fighting, sprinting, jumping, swimming long distances, or mining many blocks, then you use almost no food. Walking at normal speed does not use up food. Neither does rowing a boat. Thus, if your character has a secure place to stay, you can just stay put to conserve food while waiting out the night, a storm, or crop/animal growth.