Sorry for shooting your second shower-prompted proposal, but I am going to have to give another no to this one...
Going to the cornucopia is supposed to be a risk. You can get great loot to start off your game, but you also have the chance of getting brutally murdered soon after your adventure commences. If you want to avoid a semi-inevitable death at the bloodbath at corn, simply run like heck in the opposite direction.
Adding resistance or golden apple hearts would make it much less of a risk, because even if someone's hitting you with a stone sword, you'll probably escape alive with 12 hearts or some fancy potion affect keeping you away from the verge of death.
People complain a lot about getting killed off of spawn, but they never consider running away from the cornucopia, and while you could be missing some pretty good loot, you'll be almost guaranteed a life spared and a head start on your chest route. Of course, you have to weigh out the pros and cons, but it can make for some interesting strategies.