For your character not to die of hunger and thirst, you have to watch their condition carefully in order to refill these stats in time (icons above the character will indicate their critical needs). At first you can eat raw meat, berries and mushrooms. But when you make a Campfire, Meat Dryer and Garden you’ll be able to cook more nutritious dishes. Some of them can even increase the character's abilities right away!

Water can be obtained in various locations, from chests and the corpses of your enemies. If you don't want to depend on such kind of loot, build a Rain Catcher on your base, which gathers the vital liquid into empty bottles.