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.

Food and Skill Points

Template:Main 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

Calories

When a food item is consumed, its caloric value is added to the player's calorie value (shown as a pie chart on the bottom left of the screen). These calories are needed to do any type of manual labor in ECO such as using tools or running.

Time will slowly convert the calories into skill points. Once the player's calories reach 0, the player's daily skill point gain will also drop to 0 and they will be unable to complete any work that requires calories.

If the player's calories are above maximum, the player will be unable to eat any additional food and will be shown the "My stomach is full" message. The player will need to complete some manual labor in order to be able to eat additional food items. The calorie maximum defaults to 3,000, but that can be increased by investing in the skill Big Stomach.

Nutrients

The four nutrients do not have any specific effects on the body individually, however the player can maximize their skill gain when maintaining a balanced diet. A balanced diet contains an even amount of the four categories below:

Carbs

Carbs (short for carbohydrates) are mainly found in starchy products like Bread and other baked goods. In early-game, Wheat should be used to produce items that are high in Carbs.

Protein

Protein is mainly found in meat-focused foods, but small amounts can also be found in Beans and other vegetarian items. Charred Meat is a good source of protein in early-game.

Fat

Fat is found by cooking other ingredients in Tallow (a byproduct of cooking 3 Raw Meat) or Oil (a byproduct of milling 12 Cereal Germ or by cooking 18 Tallow over a stove).

Vitamins

Vitamins are found in foods rich in vegetables or fruits. 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