Stardew Valley is one of the most immersive RPGs available, and each part of your character’s farming life is in your hands. You’ll dress yourself, make friends, and earn money in the meantime. But above all else, you need to eat. Unsurprisingly, it’s one of the key components to keeping your character alive, but it’s always good to give yourself a reminder. Fear not, as we’re here to break down how you can eat food in Stardew Valley.

Stardew Valley | How to Eat

Consuming food is really quite simple. To eat in Stardew Valley, all you need to do is select a food item from the bar at the bottom of your screen, then press the Y button on your Xbox controller. This will make your character gorge on whatever food they’re currently holding.

Yes, it really is as straightforward as that. Of course, the only minor complication is that you need to equip a consumable in your inventory before eating. Luckily this is equally easy, as it involves just searching within your larger storage areas for food, then placing it on your person.

However, there is a bit more to food than simply eating to restore health. In fact, there are different effects from eating different types of food. Most are generally beneficial, boosting your health or energy if they’re low. On the other hand, some bad items will actually decrease these stats, so you need to steer clear from them. Luckily they aren’t too common, mostly rotten foods or dangerous items dropped by enemies.

Other than that, though, eating food is broadly plain sailing. Pick a treat of your choice to eat and watch your health go up. Doing so will leave you ready for any further encounters – and they’ll give you energy to keep on building your farming empire.