In the 1500's people weren't aware that much sickness could be prevented by simply washing. Disease was easily spread and skin was often dark and dirty. Good clean food was a luxury for only the wealthy. This was why a plump pale woman was the idea of beauty because it showed wealth and cleanliness. The life expectancy was usually around 30-40.
Because of all the unhygienic practices, the mortality rates were highs so grave sites could be hard to come by, especially during the plague when almost one third of the population was killed.
Houses were low with thatched roofs made of old straws. Mice, rats and bugs and even family pets would live in the roofs. During heavy rains it would become soggy and the creatures would sink through. Maybe the expression "It's raining cats and dogs" came from this. Beds were also made of straw which were also full of lice, ticks, fleas etc.
Cooking was done on a large pot on top of a fire. Wealthy families had plates made from pewter, which often had a high lead content. Foods with a high acid content would cause some of this lead to leach into the food, causing poisoning and often death. This happened often with tomatoes, so for many hundreds of years, tomatoes were considered poisonous.However, most people ate out of carve wooden bowls which were never washed and became moldy.