VHDL for loop - if branches not working properly - for-loop

Question

I'm fairly new to vhdl, but I'm trying to build a snake game. In the loop below the constraint of eating='1' and ate='0' doesn't seem to work. It's as if the code nested within that if statement is always ran.
The if statement in question
if(snake_body_ram(i)(14)='1' or (eating='1' and ate='0'))then
Here's the entire process
process(move, direction, snake_head_reg, snake_body_ram, clk, head_coord, direction, eating)
variable dir_next, tail_next_dir : std_logic_vector(1 downto 0);
variable coord_next : std_logic_vector(13 downto 0);
variable ate: std_logic := '0';
variable value : unsigned(5 downto 0) := (others=>'0');
begin
if(clk'event and clk='1')then
if(move='1')then
dir_next := snake_head_reg(16 downto 15);
coord_next := snake_head_reg(13 downto 0);
snake_head_reg(16 downto 15) <= direction;
snake_head_reg(13 downto 0) <= head_coord;
ate:='0';
--look here brian
bodyLabel:
for i in 0 to 35 loop
if(snake_body_ram(i)(14)='1' or (eating='1' and ate='0'))then
snake_body_ram(i)(16 downto 15) <= dir_next;
snake_body_ram(i)(13 downto 0) <= coord_next;
snake_body_ram(i)(14) <= '1';
if(eating='1')then
ate:='1';
end if;
dir_next := snake_body_ram(i)(16 downto 15);
coord_next := snake_body_ram(i)(13 downto 0);
if(i > 1)then
tail_next_dir:=snake_body_ram(i-1)(16 downto 15);
end if;
end if;
end loop;
snake_tail_reg(13 downto 0) <= coord_next;
snake_tail_reg(14)<='1';
snake_tail_reg(16 downto 15) <= tail_next_dir;
end if;
end if;
end process;
Here's the process that sets "eating"
process(food_reg, snake_head_reg, clk, move, state, btn, snake_tail_reg, snake_body_ram)
--variable ate : std_logic := '0';
begin
--if(clk'event and clk='1' and move='1' and state=play)then
if(clk'event and clk='1')then
eating <= '0';
if(move='1' and state=play)then
you_lose <= '0';
--if()then
if(food_reg = snake_head_reg(13 downto 0))then
--ate food
food_eaten <= food_eaten_next;
eating <= '1';
elsif(snake_head_reg(13 downto 0) = snake_tail_reg(13 downto 0))then
--hit tail
you_lose <= '1';
elsif(unsigned(snake_head_reg(13 downto 7)) < 2 or unsigned(snake_head_reg(13 downto 7)) > 77 or unsigned(snake_head_reg(6 downto 0)) < 2 or unsigned(snake_head_reg(6 downto 0)) > 57)then
--hit a wall
you_lose <= '1';
else
--check for body
bodyLabel:
for i in 0 to 35 loop
if(snake_body_ram(i)(14)='1' and you_lose = '0')then
if(snake_head_reg(13 downto 0) = snake_body_ram(i)(13 downto 0)) then
you_lose <= '1';
exit;
end if;
else
exit;
end if;
end loop;
end if;
--end if;
end if;
else
end if;
end process;
I've tried to include the information necessary short of sharing the entire file. If you need more information please let me know. Thanks for even taking the time to read through this.