It honestly sounds like you are going a little too 'YOLO' around the swamp, since it is generally explored wearing troll or bronze armor by most players. You do have to pay attention to the food you bring, learn to time your blocks, bring poison resistance, etc. Also, if you think you are about to push your limits, it's not too difficult to have an emergency portal at your respawn point. If you aren't travelling with portal mats, then you are indeed asking for trouble.