Yes, I don't know if it's because of the trait update but my sims tends to just do stuff related to their traits like working out or using the chess board, even if they are hungry, it's probably enhanced by the bug where sims don't eat autonomously.
Sims playing with clay or making herbal remedies are bugs left from Eco Lifestyle and their horrible NAPs, you should be able to get rid of it by making sure no NAPs are active and you should also download the eco lifestyle fixes mod by simvasion. If you have a save from when you played Eco Lifestyle you will probably have sims with loads of clay in their inventories because the bug just kept spawning clay in their inventory so have fun getting rid of those.