Lhoba cuisine varies across regions. Staple foods are dumplings made of maize or millet flour, rice or buckwheat. In places near Tibetan communities people have tsampa, potatoes, buttered tea and spicy food. Being heavy drinkers and smokers, at celebrations the Lhoba people enjoy wine and singing to observe good harvests and good luck. The buttered tea is their favorite drink.

However, due to the lack of salt, they had suffered endemic goiter, caused by poor living conditions. Many were either born deaf or mute. Their population went down into decline until recent years due to this disease. Due to their low population, many of them either intermarried with the Tibetans or with the tribal groups of Arunachal Pradesh, notably the Monpa.

Because of the proximity of the Luoba ethnic minority to the Tibetan people, the food, culture and customs resemble those of the Tibetans. The staple foods are rice, corn and a kind of local grain called 'Jizhuagu' (Chicken's claw grain) with which they brew a popular yellow wine. Buckwheat pies dusted with chilli powder are another favorite.