i posted this discussion on the subreddit as well, but thought i'd also ask here to cast a wider net;
if you're running ilvl synched content, what should you be using for food/potions/gear?

i searched around for an answer to this through various sources (other forums, other subreddits, discords, etc) but ive been getting different or even contradictory answers from different places, not to mention answers from older posts. so i apologize if this should be common knowledge but i thought i'd ask here.

with some deviations the main two answers for food i've gotten are either

go one lvl cap higher (i.e. if you're running 50 content eat 60 food), which will cap out your stats or

eat current endgame food, you still get the full percentage boost

and for gear i've gotten

wear the gear that came with the content since you lose out on melds otherwise or

just wear current endgame gear since the bonuses cancel out/are greater than what you could get from melding older gear

these answers seem mutually exclusive to me, and it still leaves me with some questions; do stat bonuses from food/pots cap out at a certain point if consumed while synched? are these caps excluded from percentage boosts that food gives? or something in-between?

i'm looking to get some definitive answers (preferably with sources) before i drop any of the very little gil i have on anything. is anyone familiar with this topic?

(side note: i'll be going to bed shortly after i post this but i'll be reading/replying to any answers i get tomorrow if this doesn't get deleted).

many thanks in advance.