Yeah, I also slowly come to this realization. Having completed so many games without any consumables at all makes me more confident :D

Besides, this should be worked through game design. If a player uses consumables in battle, chances are it's already challenging enough. If it is then followed by harder fights and the player is empty, they will likely just ragequit at some point not to come there again, or will constantly switch the game's difficulty if it's available, which makes for an inconsistent and cheaty-feeling gameplay.