[LooseWilly]

Just FYI ... water will cure at least 1 hp per drink even if the PC is not thirsty. At higher levels, or just higher levels of thirst, I often see healing of up to 6 hp per drink of water (with 5 drinks/canteen... free refills at any stream or well). For my characters under about 7th level... this becomes a much more economical solution than burning through stacks of bandages (and even once a regen item is acquired, a couple of 6 hp swigs from a canteen make hiking the roads of Thay alone feel a hair less perilous).

Food tends to be on the order of 1 to 3 hp (though none of my PCs will touch one of those herbal elven crackers... which I suspect are liable to cure more).

Veybold often sees a cure of 1 hp from a swig of rum, if he's thirsty enough.

I would also vote to make rat meat rich... seems liable to be gamey and rats must be full of nutrients just to survive. Also, it makes the not-insignificant chance of contracting a disease from the meat even more of an irresistable temptation.

I would also suggest that the ales and wines should at least count as poor nutrition... they're at least 85% water, after all - and very refreshing!