I don't necessarily think so. Evan puts a LOT of effort into balance. But even so, I've gotten to where I have 5 challenge modes turned on to make it a challenge, so maybe you're right.
The trick is knowing what you have to do, and focusing only on that. Backtracking is the enemy, and should be avoided aside from unlucky guesses as to how a map is laid out.
If you're the wizard, the horn of plenty is almost a cheat code, because one of your character upgrades gives you brief recharging when you eat, and the horn allows you to "nibble" constantly. Plus you can't starve.
Also, if you go warlock, you have a character upgrade that lets you get food and healing from bopping a marked enemy. That's super useful.
The monk has a class skill that lets you "meditate" to heal, and the fuel for that is defeating enemies. Right now my character is starving most of the time, but I meditate often enough to mitigate it.
Using the alchemy pot to mix 1 ration, 1 pie, and 1 piece of meat (any kind), gives you a super food that lasts longer than the combination of all plus additional healing over time. And feeding a super food to the horn of plenty is 4 upgrades at once.
But the biggest trick is just avoiding all possible damage as much as possible, so that you can keep a reserve of healing potions.