So for my current play-through, I'd like to add a bit more realism than usual. Nothing too demanding; I just want to be forced to eat. I already role-play sleeping due to the lighting mods that I use making it impossible to fight well in the dark. However, I'm a bit unsure which mod to use. My ideal mod would be one that simply stops health regeneration and maybe drains it slowly until you do something about it, kind of like in Minecraft. I'd also like it to not mess with the placement of food throughout the world or the stats of food to maximize compatibility with other mods. However, I realize a mod like this might not exist or be possible to create. Does anybody know what mods I should try if this is the kind of thing I'm looking for? I'll look into any and all suggestions. Thanks for your time.

Hmm. There are a few needs mods I can think of right now: Nord Needs probably would fit your bill, but unfortunately it's dead now. You might look at Total Realism, or Basic Human Needs - Food Drink and Sleep. Most needs mods end up editing food stats and placement simply because vanilla Skyrim has fresh food everywhere even in ancient crypts you'd think no one has been in for centuries. XD

Imps More Complex Needs and Realistic Needs and Diseases are the main options for needs mods at the moment. IMCN is complex and has lots of options, but from previous experience with IMCN I found it takes some micromanaging to keep my character healthy, which I don't think you are after; I can recommend Realistic Needs and Diseases as being not too obtrusive depending on your settings. Take a look at http://www.skyrimgems.com's Basic Needs category (420) and check out the mods listed there. Good luck!