I found the best way to increase my chance of getting killed was switching to lighter armour like the Troll Hide set, then using lower level foodstuffs and minor potions. Now I only wear the Fenris set in all situations which offers slightly more armour than bronze. It's speed bonus really mitigates the lower armour level as it is like having a stamina pool that rarely ever goes below half. I ended up downloading the Valheim Plus mod and dropped the armour rating on my gear because the Fenris set is too much fun to give up.