Food

Food is a constant necessity for players in Eco. Lack of food will eventually halt the accumulation of Skill Points and prevent the player from doing any work that requires calories. However, players can not die from starvation.

Skill point gain is increased by the player's nutrition and Housing. Nutrition is raised by eating more nutritious food while balancing the four nutrients: Carbohydrates, Protein, Fat and Vitamins.

Food is eaten by right-clicking on it. It does not need to be assigned to the toolbar. Food can be eaten from the toolbar, the inventory, or directly from a container. Right-clicking a stack of food will only consume one portion.

List of Food

Sortable table of all foods

Food and Skill Points

A player's daily skill point gain is calculated based on the average nutrients of all foods in a player's stomach. The average (weighted based on food calories) of each nutrient is added, then multiplied by a balance modifier (between x0.5 and x2). Foods that are completely lacking in one or more nutrients are considered to have a value of 0 in the missing nutrient(s).

Foods stay in the stomach for 24 hours after eating. After that time, they will cease to be part of the skill point gain calculation.

Properties of food

Each piece of food has multiple values associated with it:

Calories

When a food is consumed, its caloric value is added to the player's calorie value, shown in the bottom left of the screen. Calories are needed to do manual labor in ECO, and are required to use most tools.

Time slowly converts calories into skill points. Once calories reach 0, the player's daily skill point gain drops to 0, and they can not do any work that requires calories.

If the calorie count of a food would raise that player's calories above the player's max, the player can not eat that food and will be given a "My stomach is full" message. Doing work to lower calories will eventually allow the player to eat the food. By default, the calorie maximum is 3,000, but that can be increased by the skill Big Stomach.

Nutrients

The four nutrients do not have any different effects on the body. They just need to be kept balanced to maximize skill gain.

Carbs

Carbs, short for carbohydrates, are mainly found in starchy products, like Bread. In the early-game, Wheat is high in Carbs.

Protein

Protein is mainly found in meat, but there are small amounts of protein in Beans and some other food. Charred Meat and other animal products are good sources of protein.

Fat

Fat is most easily obtainable from meat. Tallow, a byproduct of cooking meat, is pure fat.

Vitamins

Vitamins are found in foods that have a vegetable or fruit component. Huckleberries are the best way to supplement vitamin intake early on.

Food Crafting Stations & Recipes

The following crafting stations are used for crafting food:

• Campfire
• Butchery Table
• Bakery Oven
• Mill
• Kitchen
• Cast Iron Stove
• Stove

Food Resources

Plants

Food-bearing plants are a food resource harvested from the world. Most can be harvesting simply by highlighting the plant and pressing E.

The following plants require a certain tool to harvest:

• Wheat, Agave and Fireweed Shoots require a scythe.
• Camas Bulb requires a shovel to harvest.
• Acorn is harvested from the debris of an Oak Tree

The Clam and Urchin requires the player to harvest it then get it prepared at a Fishery.

• Food-bearing Plants
• 
  Beets - Grows in Grasslands
• 
  Corn - Grows in Grasslands
• 
  Ferns - Grows in forests, especially Warm Forest
• 
  Huckleberry - Grows in forests, especially Warm Forest
• 
  Beans - Grows in forests. Rare in Beta 8.0
• 
  Wheat - Grows in Grasslands
• 
  Pumpkin - Grows in Grasslands
• 
  Camas - Grows in Warm Forest
• 
  Prickly Pear - Grows in Desert
• 
  Tomatoes Grows in Grasslands
• 
  Fireweed - Grows in Boreal Forest
• 
  Crimini Mushroom - Grows in Rainforest
• 
  Amanita Mushroom - Absent in Beta 8.0. (Poisonous!)
• 
  Papaya - Grows in Rainforest
• 
  Pineapple - Grows in Rainforest
• 
  Bolete Mushroom - Grows in Rainforest
• 
  Acorns - Harvested from Oak Tree leaves
• 
  Rice - Grows in Grasslands. Seemingly absent in Beta 8.0.
• 
  Urchin - Grows underwater
• 
  Clam - Grows underwater

Animals

Animals are a food resource that requires the player to kill the animal and harvest it then get it prepared at a Butchery Table or Fishery.

• Animals
• Bison
  Bison
• 
  Elk
• 
  Wolf
• Fox
  Fox
• Hare
  Hare
• 
  Bighorn Sheep
• 
  Tortoise
• 
  Trout
• 
  Salmon
• Tuna
  Tuna
• 
  Mountain Goat
• 
  Turkey

Guides

App that shows optimal food combination for available food. (Version 9)

Best Food Combos — By Rupi