Asharin, refer to my
Equipment Guide.
You will NEVER become an MP sink because you lost X amount of VIT. Pretend the mob has an invisible weapon. It takes 4 VIT to lower the DMG on the mob's weapon by 1. You could lose 16 VIT, and the mob would just gain 4 DMG. That would mean you'd be taking around 2-5 more damage per hit, depending on the mob and your Defense. It makes a difference but it's not a big difference.
You should definitely use Woodsman Rings and a Tilt Belt if you can afford them. And you should definitely hang on to that Peacock Charm, it's the best neck piece in the game for any melee job unless you have Sea torques.
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As for food, it depends on what you're camping and your party setup. If your party is smart and goes for VT to low IT mobs, and you have Refresh, you'll often be better off eating offensive food (after 41, you're probably better off with Sushi than meat.) If your party overhunts (and this is often the case,) and/or if you don't have Refresh, you'll have to stick to Defense food to avoid being an MP sink. But even in that case, you should still wear your Woodsman Rings, Life Belt, etc.
Definitely get a Haubergeon at 59 too.