you're going to want to work towards hunting lox, leeches, mining guck, collecting barley as soon as you're in plains, etc.

A lot of later game food is going to give you +70/75 hp & stamina, and by mistlands, you'll be eating stuff that gives you even more of a buff

and you'll want to start fermenting potions as soon as you can build a fermenter (which I believe requires iron, I think....)