7 Days to Die Complete Food Guide: Farming, Recipes

Understanding the 7 Days to Die Food System

In the open world survival game 7 Days to Die, food and water are essential for staying alive. You play as a survivor navigating a post-apocalyptic landscape filled with zombies, hostile humans, and environmental hazards. Keeping your food and water supplies steady is crucial for survival.

7 Days to Die features a detailed hunger and thirst system. Your character has separate food and water meters that gradually drain over time. Eating food and drinking water tops up these meters. If either meter drops to zero, your maximum health and stamina begin decreasing, leaving you vulnerable.

Food Groups in 7 Days to Die

There are four main food groups in 7 Days to Die:

• Fruits and Vegetables - These include corn, blueberries, mushrooms, yucca fruit, and more.
• Meat - Chicken, bacon and eggs, meat stew, and grilled meat.
• Junk Food - Chips, candy, and canned food like sham and dog food.
• Drinks - Water, coffee, beer, and grain alcohol.

Understanding Food Values

All food and drink items have two key stats:

• Food - How much the item tops up your food meter.
• Water - How much the item tops up your water meter.

Some items also provide buffs or debuffs that affect your stats temporarily. For example, alcohol gives a tipsiness debuff while coffee provides a caffeine buff.

Food Meter

Your food meter determines how long you'll last before starvation sets in. Different activities use up food meter at different rates. For example, sprinting will drain your food meter faster than walking.

As a general estimate, most players need to consume food equivalent to 20-30 food points every in-game day. However this can vary based on activity levels.

Water Meter

Water is consumed separately from food. You lose water over time by performing any activity. Sprinting, jumping, and taking damage drain your water meter faster.

On average, you’ll need around 15-25 water points per day to stay hydrated. But intense activity and high temperatures may increase the rate your water drains.

Types of Food in 7 Days to Die

7 Days to Die has a wide range of food items with different restore values, buffs, and debuffs. Here is an overview:

Fruits and Vegetables

Foraging fruits and vegetables is an efficient way to find food early on. They provide small nourishment without any negative effects. Examples include:

• Corn - Restores 5 food, 3 water.
• Mushrooms - 10 food, 5 water.
• Yucca Fruit - 5 food, 15 water. Useful for hydration.
• Blueberries - 5 food, 1 water.
• Goldenrod Flower - Herbal antibiotic with regeneration buff.

Meat Products

Hunting and cooking meat is essential once you establish a base. Meat provides lots of nourishment.

Examples include:

• Grilled Meat - 25 food.
• Bacon and Eggs - 30 food.
• Meat Stew - 20 food.
• Chicken Soup - 10 food, 20 water.

Junk Food

Junk food and canned goods last a long time but aren't very nutritious. Examples include:

• Canned Soup - 10 food, 5 water.
• Canned Sham - 20 food, 8 water.
• Dog Food - 15 food, 2 water.
• Chips - 20 food, 1 water.
• Candy - 10 food, 1 water.

Drinks

Staying hydrated is critical. Water and juices are healthier options. Alcohol provides lots of water but reduces stamina.

Examples include:

• Water - 25 water.
• Coffee - 25 water, caffeine buff.
• Beer - 15 water, tipsiness debuff.
• Grain Alcohol - 35 water, tipsiness debuff.
• Yucca Juice - 15 water.

Best Crops for Farming

When you have a secure base, setting up a farm with renewable food and water is essential Here are some of the best crops to farm:

Corn

Corn is one of the best all-round crops. Each corn plant provides three ears of corn, which restore 5 food and 3 water when cooked. Corn grows reliably and breeds lots of seeds for replanting.

Yucca

Yucca trees provide both fruit and saplings for rebuilding your farm. Yucca fruit restores hunger and thirst meters. Saplings convert to Yucca Juice, which quenches thirst and never spoils.

Aloe

Aloe plants produce flowers used to craft soothing aloe cream that heals wounds and prevents infections.

Blueberries

Blueberries don't restore much hunger, but they grow rapidly. You can produce lots of seeds to expand your farm quickly.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms restore both food and water meters reasonably well. Once planted in caves, they spawn new mushrooms constantly in the darkness.

7 Days to Die Food Recipes

Cooking unlocks new food types with improved restoration values and other benefits.

Here are some of the most useful recipes to know:

Bacon And Eggs

Eggs combined with raw meat or fat create a highly nourishing bacon and eggs meal.

Grilled Meat

Grilling raw meat converts it into an easily digestible form that provides even more nourishment.

Meat Stew

Boiled meat combined with water in a cooking pot produces meat stew, an efficient hunger filler that never spoils.

Vegetable Stew

Boiling corn, potatoes, and mushrooms makes a decent vegetable stew.

Boiled Pasta

Combining murky water and grain alcohol boils pasta, which restores both food and water meters.

Blueberry Pie

Baking pie crusts filled with blueberries creates a sweet pie that restores small amounts of food and water.

Tips for Managing Hunger and Thirst

Here are some key tips for balancing your food and water intake in 7 Days to Die:

• Always carry basic food like canned goods or corn on hand for emergencies.
• Cook meat products like grilled meat whenever possible for maximum nourishment.
• Drink clean water or yucca juice to stay hydrated.
• Set up farms near your base to produce a renewable food supply.
• Avoid sprinting for long periods as this rapidly drains food and water.
• Eat and drink before battles so your meters are topped up.

Pay Attention to Debuffs

Some food items apply negative debuff effects, like alcohol intoxication or food poisoning. These debuffs negatively impact combat performance. Check the details of unfamiliar foraged items before consuming them.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.