Sounds like you're still using basic foods (not even tier 1). Do you have a cauldron? You'll need a spice rack too but starting swamp you should be using boar jerky, deer stew, and queens jam or carrot soup.

Once you get some swamp stuff you can make sausages, turnip stew, and muckshake all of which are solid upgrades.

You'll need poison resist mead too. It's not quite as essential as it used to be but in bronze you'll definitely need it against leeches and oozes.