When it comes to playing Grounded it’s going to be a big priority for players to understand what resources they have at their disposal, especially if those resources are able to help provide players with passive effects or bonuses.
While players will spend a good portion of their adventures eating foods such as Roasts and Jerky, players will be able to cook themselves some great Meals using the Oven for some extra boosts.
The choice of what a player eats will depend on what resources are around them and how much time a player has when it comes to gathering the required resources.
In general, there is not a single solution to keeping yourself fed and players may have differing preferences to how to stay fed simply based on what they are trying to achieve with their intake. I would strongly suggest that by the mid-to-late game players switch to only eating Meals if possible, though this will require a player to unlock said Meals by completing the discovery of BURG.L Chips and hoarding resources.
The following guide will take you through the various types of Food, Snacks and Meals in Grounded so you can make an educated decision of what resources to feed yourself, especially if you are heading into a challenging area for you.
Note: If you want to watch me play games like Grounded on Twitch head on over here! I’m always happy to answer your questions there as well!
SNACKS
Snacks as a category provide low amounts of Hunger (and sometimes Thirst), but are commonly found around the yard and require little to no effort to prepare. They’re nothing fancy, but Snacks are often the best way to keep a player fed and watered in the early game.
I will say, when players are lazy they can rely on Snacks to feed them throughout their gameplay, especially if they don’t want to waste resources, however, whenever players need a chunk of Hunger or Thirst quickly, they are not going to be as reliable.
The lucky thing about Snacks is the fact that most of them never expire, meaning that players can hoard a bunch for when they really need them, though the choice to use them is going to heavily depend on whether or not a player thinks they are going to use these items in the future in a recipe.
ROTTEN FOOD
Rotten Food is a very common resources that players will collect when they are in the Trash Heap Biome and when Meats spoil.
While players are able to eat them, they are not helpful in anyway as they will not provide the player with any Hunger and instead will simply make the player Sick.
Players will only want to use Rotten Food to fertilize Garden Patches in order to reduce the time it takes for players to obtain the resources they plant.
SPOILED MEAT
Like Rotten Food, Spoiled Meat provide no Hunger and only has negative effects, making the player Sick. As such it should not be eaten and should only be used for Garden Patches.
Players should try their hardest not to allow Meat to spoil and should try to build a Jerky Rack (or in our case 10) as soon as possible to ensure that they can make Raw Meats into Jerky as soon as possible.
Admittedly, players can also use spoiled meat to fertilize Garden Plots, though I will say… fertilizer isn’t important and the Gardening System is kinda… eh.
MUSHROOM
Mushrooms are by far the most important Snack in my opinion as they can be found all over the world and respawn regularly.
While Mushrooms only feed a player by 7.5%, players can hoard a number of these on their inventory during their travel and should not be worried about dropping a stack of them on the floor or quickly eating them all if they need extra inventory space.
Mushrooms, to me, were a very big staple to my diet, essentially carrying me until I was ready to eat a Meal or have to dive into eating another food, though it does come at the cost of taking up a good portion of your inventory space.
Players can combat the inventory issue by using Milk Molars to increase the stack size of their Consumables. While this won’t completely fix the problem it is a good solution to inventory problems.
I will write a longer guide about how I work with my Milk Molars.
MUSCLE SPROUT
Muscle Sprouts should never be used as edibles, not only because they reduce a player’s Health by 20%, but also because they are used for Smoothie Bases, and a pretty good one at that.
Players will gain only 7.5% Hunger with Muscle Sprouts, the same as a Mushroom, but due to the “rarity” of this resource, which is only found in the Pond Lab, players are going to want to make sure that they only utilize this resource in the most effective manner.
ALGAE
Algae is fairly easy to come by, being sort of the Mushroom of the Pond, though I would say that players should save this resource if they can in order to use it in Meals and Smoothies.
If players are in a pinch and are exploring the Pond Lab for example, they can eat the Algae to gain back 7.5% Hunger with no penalties.
NECTAR
Nectar isn’t a resource that players come by often, only being located in the Flower Bed or in the Beehive after Bees have collected enough of it.
Admittedly, I would recommend players save this resource for Meals like the Spider Slider, though due to it’s current one use, there is no real major downfall to consuming it when you’re in need of both Hunger and Thirst.
Players will gain back 10% Hydration/Thirst and will also gain 10% Hunger.
APHID HONEYDEW
I’d say Aphid Honeydew is the better resource to “waste” when it comes to resources like Nectar.
Similar to Nectar it provides players with 10% Hydration/Thirst and 10% Hunger, though players will also receive 7.5% Health back with this as well.
Aphid Honeydew is pretty easy to come by as Aphids will poop it all over the world and if players have trained an Aphid Pet, they will be able to stockpile this resource in hopes of replacing Mushrooms.
Aphid Honeydew can be an overlooked resource, but it’s one of the best in this category.
ACORN BITS
Acorn Bits are very easy to come by, especially if players are basing near the Oak Tree.
While I would tell players to stockpile this resource as it is used in multiple Meals and Smoothies, the reality is that it is so easy to obtain Acorn Bits, making it a bit of a mute point.
I would say, if you’re in a pinch, start munching as Acorn Bits provide players with 10% Hunger, but if you’ve got other foods on you (in particular Mushrooms) stockpile the Acorn Bits.
I wouldn’t waste the Acorn Bits though, I’d just throw them into a chest, versus Mushrooms which you can always grow.
MINT SHARD
I truly think it’s a terrible idea to eat Mint Shards, unless you are working towards getting your Mutation from them.
While Mint Shards provide players with 20% Hunger and reduce your sizzle meter, the reality is that players are going to need a massive amount of them if they hope to provide their Weapons with Minty Elemental Damage.
We noticed that by the late-game we didn’t stockpile enough, especially with the newest update that made it harder to actually enhance your Weapons and Tools, so try to refrain as much as possible from doing so.
SPICY SHARD
I also truly think it’s a terrible idea to eat Spicy Shards.
Spicy Shards also provide players with 20% Hunger, but the same reality is that players are going to need a massive amount of them if they hope to provide their Weapons with Spicy Elemental Damage.
We noticed that by the late-game we didn’t stockpile enough, especially with the newest update that made it harder to actually enhance your Weapons and Tools, so try to refrain as much as possible from doing so.
GRANOLA BAR
Granola Bars are often found in the Ominent bases and labs and are extremely helpful for players in these situations.
The reality is that there is a finite amount of Granola Bars and they do not respawn, but they do provide players with 14.5% Hunger and 33.3% Health, so it’s always a good idea to try to save these for boss battles as they can really help carry you.
If you can avoid using Granola Bars at first, it is advisable simply because of how quick it is to munch of them in tough situations, however, there are plenty of ways to heal, so don’t be upset if you’ve already eaten them all because you’ll be okay.
FRESH APPLE BITS / FRESH BILLY HOG BITE / FRESH COOKIE SANDWICH BITS
These human foods can be found all over the world and are considered to be an important resource to collect.
When you harvest them yourself, these foods provide players with 20% Hunger. This sounds pretty good, but I would strongly recommend that players don’t regularly munch of these as they are used for a decent Smoothie.
Now, depending on how often a player looks for human food, they may be able to build a massive stockpile of this resource making it worth eating as a Snack, however, the defensive value of a Human Food Smoothie should not be overlooked.
APPLE BITS / BILLY HOG BITE / COOKIE SANDWICH BITS
Human food are also harvested by Worker Ants, and you may find these non-fresh foods in their possession.
While the fresh versions were a satisfying snack, these non-fresh human foods only provide players with 6.6% Hunger.
Unfortunately they can’t even be used as Smoothie ingredients, so their only use is as a subpar snack, not even as filling as Mushrooms.
CANDY CORNLET
Candy Cornlets are another human food that players will want to eat no matter what as they are not used in a Smoothie or another recipe. These are a great snack refilling a whopping 25% Hunger, so start munching!
Candy Corn may be found in place of the other human food items around the yard during Halloween. Outside of Halloween you can still find Candy Corn on the table in the Shed Surroundings.
RAW CREATURE MEAT
Raw Creature Meats are technically a Snack, but they’re also a resource that I strongly recommend that players do not eat, unless they are very early in the game and have nothing else to eat.
All Raw Creature Meats except Water Flea Meat will damage a player’s health.
I would strongly recommend that players Cook all of their Raw Meat as this will provide them with more Hunger and ensure that they are never penalized, though the following are all the stats players gain and lose for each Raw Meat:
RAW APHID MEAT
Raw Aphid Meat provides players with 10% Hunger while decreasing a player’s Health by –33%.
I strongly recommend that players choose to eat Mushrooms over Raw Aphid Meat as there should always be plenty of Mushrooms around a player. Though, if players are in a pinch and are not in any immediate danger, they can eat these.
Aphids are all over the world and tend to be the easiest Meat to find.
It should be noted that Raw Aphid Meat is used in such a variety of crafts including Smoothies, so players in the mid-to-late game may not even want to Cook them or make them into Jerky if they are using Boost Juice frequently.
RAW GNAT MEAT
Raw Gnat Meat provides players with 10% Hunger while decreasing a player’s Health by –33%.
I strongly recommend that players choose to eat Mushrooms over Raw Gnat Meat as there should always be plenty of Mushrooms around a player. Though, if players are in a pinch and are not in any immediate danger, they can eat these.
Gnats don’t really get used for other big recipes, so players will have the option to turn them into Jerky to ensure that they never spoil. In my opinion, this is the best use for Raw Gnat Meat.
RAW GRUB MEAT
Raw Grub Meat provides players with 10% Hunger while decreasing a player’s Health by –33%.
I strongly recommend that players choose to eat Mushrooms over Raw Grub Meat as there should always be plenty of Mushrooms around a player. Though, if players are in a pinch and are not in any immediate danger, they can eat these.
Grub Meat doesn’t really get used for other big recipes, so players will have the option to turn them into Jerky to ensure that they never spoil. In my opinion, this is the best use for Raw Grub Meat.
RAW TADPOLE MEAT
Raw Tadpole Meat works a bit differently than the other Raw Meats as it provides players with 10% Hunger while decreasing a player’s Health by –33%, but it also provides players with 10% Thirst/Hydration.
Still, I would choose to either make these into Roasts or Jerky to avoid the penalty, but if players are parched, this may be a bit of a solution.
RAW WEEVIL MEAT
Raw Weevil Meat provides players with 10% Hunger while decreasing a player’s Health by –33%.
I strongly recommend that players choose to eat Mushrooms over Raw Weevil Meat as there should always be plenty of Mushrooms around a player. Though, if players are in a pinch and are not in any immediate danger, they can eat these.
Weevils are all over the world and tend to be the second easiest Meat to find.
Weevil Meat can be used for some other recipes, most notably the Weevil Shield and Grub Goggles. If you reach a point where you don’t need the meat for those then Weevils can simply be used for Jerky or Roasts to keep a player full without penalties.
WATER FLEA MEAT
As mentioned, Water Flea Meat doesn’t come with any negative side effects and simply provides players with 10% Thirst and 10% Hunger.
Out of all the Meats mentioned above, Water Flea Meat is the most useful and is the only one I would recommend players eating regularly, though players should note that they will be able to make a Smoothie that helps them swim if they save it.
If you’re not in need of Swimming Smoothies, cook these bad boys up if you need extra Hunger or turn them into Jerky for long term foods.
The choice is yours, but all options are fine in this case.
JERKY
The final type of Snack food in the game is Jerky. This is one of the uses for Raw Creature Meats and is a much safer way to replenish players’ Hunger. Unlike Roasts, the key advantages to Jerky are that they stack and they never spoil.
The trade off is that players will only receive 20% Hunger from Jerky. As much as I hate the fact that Jerky provide s players with less Hunger, I typically go on a day trip to get as much Raw Meat as possible to stockpile on Jerky for long adventures. For me, this makes survival a lot more manageable.
Players will be able to make the following Jerky:
Aphid Jerky
Gnat Jerky
Grub Jerky
Tadpole Jerky
Water Flea Jerky
Weevil Jerky
ROASTED CREATURE MEAT
Players will be able to make the following Meats by cooking them on the Roasting Spit. All will provide players with 50% Hunger and 40% Health:
Aphid Roast
Cooked Tadpole Meat
Gnat Roast
Grub Roast
Water Flea Roast
Weevil Roast
These are the first Meals that most players will encounter. As opposed to Snacks, Meals provide the player with the Meals buff and the Well Fed buff, which stop Hunger drain and provide small Health regeneration respectively.
It should be noted that while Roasts are very good for filling a player’s Hunger, they do expire and they don’t stack, so they may not be the best option for players in every situation.
MEALS MADE IN THE COOKERY
Like Roasted Creature Meat, Cookery Meals are going to be an excellent Hunger solution for players to utilize as they provide the Meals and Well Fed buffs, keeping your Hunger and Health bars high.
Cookery Meals provide a huge 75% Hunger and additionally give the player other beneficial effects depending on the recipe, similar to Smoothies.
I will say, when I first stumbled upon Cookery Meals I thought that they were like Jerky and never expired, though this is not true by any means.
Players will be speeding against the clock whenever they make a Meal, albeit they do take some time before they spoil.
I would strongly recommend players cook their Meals right before they explore as many of the ingredients themselves don’t expire otherwise.
Players will have to unlock various meals through purchases using BURG.Ls Tech Chip Swap Shop and as I’ve already covered how to unlock these Cookery Meals, I’m not going to mention it in this post.
GNATCHOS (TIER I)
Gnatchos will provide players with Fall Defense, reducing their fall damage taken.
For me, I only care about being fed with Gnatchos, but I typically do not use them. If you’re
Players will need the following ingredients to make Gnatchos:
1 Gnat Jerky
2 Acorn Bits
2 Grub Sludge
MITELOAF (TIER I)
Miteloaf is a decent Meal to have in the early game as it provides players with the Attack Stamina buff, reducing the Stamina cost of your weapon swings.
While I admittedly don’t use it often, it is a good way to get my hunger up and speed up combat by getting in more hits when quickly spamming attacks.
Players will need the following ingredients to make Miteloaf:
4 Mite Fuzz
2 Mushrooms
1 Aphid Jerky
Admittedly, due to it’s ingredients, players can use this any time as they are very accessible and players will most likely always have them on hand.
LARVAGNA (TIER I)
Larvagna is a great Meal that players can have and while it’s not the most over powered, even in the late game it can feel helpful.
Larvagna provides players with a Critical Hit Chance buff, allowing them to deal a bit more damage, and even break resource nodes faster.
Players will need the following ingredients to make Larvagna:
3 Larva Spike
1 Fresh Billy Hog Bite
2 Grub Sludge
Due to the ease of obtaining these ingredients, Larvagna is honestly a decent Meal to eat in the mornings, even when gathering as Critical Hit may fell blades of Grass, bust Rocks or cut Weed Stems faster.
BOATMAN FIN SOUP (TIER I)
The Boatman Fin Soup is a Meal that players will want to eat before they’ve acquire Tier 2 swimming equipment.
I wouldn’t say that it is necessary in the late-game, but if players are scrambling underwater while trying to get resources the extra Swim Speed effect it provides may save a player.
Players will need the following ingredients for Boatman Fin Soup:
3 Water Boatman Fins
2 Mushrooms
4 Algae
Admittedly, Boatman Fin Soup is a little costly for what it offers and I’m not a huge fan of it, so I tend to avoid it if I can.
SPAGHETFLEA (TIER I)
The Spaghetflea is another water-focused Meal that players will use before going swimming. It gives you the Junior Diver effect, slightly increasing the time you can stay underwater before needing air.
Players will need the following ingredients for Boatman Fin Soup:
1 Water Flea Roast
3 Acorn Bits
2 Lilypad Wax
This is a little easier to make than the Boatman Fin Soup, but the buff isn’t as important, especially once you have access to stronger swimming equipment.
OMELANT (TIER II)
Omelants are one of my favourite foods simply because it provides players with the Thorns buff, giving a chance to reflect damage back at your attackers. This can be handy if you haven’t mastered perfect block timings yet.
Admittedly, I’m not the biggest fan that Omelants use Salt Shards, because they can be difficult to stockpile and Black Ant Eggs can feel frustrating to locate and collect.
Omelants feel situational for me, and I tend to use them only in boss battles, but the choice is up to the player.
Players will need the following ingredients to make an Omelant:
1 Black Ant Egg
2 Salt Shards
4 Algae
Remember to make this Meal before that Ant Egg hatches!
FUNGUSPACHO (TIER II)
Funguspacho is another option of Meals to eat if players want Attack Stamina.
Admittedly, for us, Funguspacho is very easy to make as we spend a good amount of time in the Haze, however, for players who are afraid of the Haze it might not feel as accessible.
I would strongly recommend using Funguspacho over Miteloaf if it’s possible and would have it as a Meal you eat every day, as long as you are battling.
Players will need the following ingredients:
4 Fungal Growth
2 Mushroom Chunks
2 Toadstool Chunks
If players are struggling to upkeep their Mushroom and Toadstool Chunks, I strongly recommend growing them in your Garden Patch.
MAC N BEES (TIER II)
Mac N Bees, for me, is pretty useless. It’s an alternative to Gnatchos for Fall Defense, but I’m personally not a fan of killing Bees as they can be frustrating to deal with and realistically… I don’t care much about Fall Defense.
Admittedly, there are plenty of situations where I have fallen to my death because I refused to use Fall Defense, but… I’m lazy!
Mac N Bees requires the following ingredients:
3 Bee Fuzz
4 Acorn Bits
3 Pollen
SPIDER SLIDER (TIER II)
Spider Sliders are the better way to obtain more Critical Hit Chance, though I will say that they are a bit costly, and the choice between this and Larvagna comes down to what resources you have on hand.
I have to say that many of the resources, other than Nectar, I use in other recipes, however, I can’t deny how much I love having Critical Hit Chance.
I would never use Spider Sliders for resource collecting as it is so costly, however, if I’m about to enter a tough battle, I do use it.
Players will need the following ingredients to make a Spider Slider:
4 Spider Chunks
5 Nectar
2 Berry Chunks
TERMITE DELIGHT (TIER III)
Termite Delight is perfect for players who are ready to do a lot of resource farming as it will improve your Rock and Grass Harvest Speed. This is more of a luxury buff, and not as necessary as something you can take into combat.
Admittedly, Termite Delight is a bit difficult to farm ingredients for, mostly because players need to be in the upper area of the yard.
We don’t have a whole lot of these resources currently, but I can see us having chests filled with them soon.
Players will need the following ingredients for Termite Delight:
4 Termite Parts
2 Dust Mite Fuzz
2 Tough Gunk
BLACK OX BURGER (TIER III)
I’m in love with the Black Ox Burger, although it means fighting one of the toughest mobs: the Black Ox.
Admittedly, we have had a good amount of “bad drops” from the Black Ox, so we’ve farmed a good amount of these, but the benefit is that we can make a number of Black Ox Burgers which provide Max Health and Damage Resist.
With a Black Ox Burger, players will be able to farm the majority of creatures and bosses repeatedly as this greatly helps players with strong armour become even tankier.
Players will need the following ingredients for Black Ox Burgers:
4 Black Ox Parts
2 Pupa Leather
5 Tough Gunk
QUESADILLIANTLION (TIER III)
I have to say, I’m not the biggest fan of the ingredients for the Quesadilliantlion, but as I mentioned… I’m a big fan of Thorns.
I prefer to use the lesser Thorns though as I don’t often need extra Sizzle since I use Fresh Defense as my Mutation regularly to avoid Sizzling to death.
My biggest issue is the Shards it uses, as I like to use my shards on Arrows, though the choice is going to be up to each player.
Players will receive both Sizzle Protection and Thorns when they eat a Quesadilliantlion, so it’s sort of an upgraded Omelant.
Players need the following ingredients for the Quesadilliantlion:
3 Antlion Parts
6 Salt Shards
2 Spicy Shards
TADPOLOCA PUDDING (TIER III)
This is an improved Spaghetflea recipe that provides you with much longer breathing time underwater through the Veteran Diver buff.
Again with the elemental shards as Meal ingredients! If you have them to spare I guess you could use this Meal, but I’d recommend looking for other sources of underwater help first, such as the Bubble Helmet or Liquid Gills Smoothie.
Players need the following ingredients for the Tadpoloca Pudding:
2 Tadpole Jerky
4 Lilypad Wax
3 Mint Shards
CONCLUSION
While there are many foods that a player can eat in order to keep them alive, the choice of food is going to highly depend on what a player is up to, what zones they’re travelling through, and if they need any bonus effects.
In my opinion, it would be ideal to be able to make a Meal every day that corresponds to the tasks you’re going to do, however, I seem to rely on Smoothies more often for various buffs as my husband helps stockpile them for us.
Smoothies tend to be more useful as well as they heal you, though they do not give you Hunger.
Typically, even in the late game, you can find me snacking on Mushrooms, though my main source of “adventure food” tends to be Jerky.
Though I’m curious, what is the way that you like to keep yourself fed in Grounded. Do you find that some of the Meals are too costly so you avoid them altogether? Let me know in the comments below!
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