Food Markets of the world show the foods of all climates, seasons, lands. Grain foods, vegetables, fruits, meats, dairy products are all seen and are all different. Yet they all contain most of the food substances needed to nourish humankind, but in such different proportions and combinations as to make great variety in Human Foods.

City markets everywhere are much alike in what they have, and they have most foods known to humanity. In town, village, hamlet is found only what is produced in the locality. It is these rather than the cosmopolitan markets that show the characteristic foods of the land. It is upon such foods that the majority of the inhabitants depend for nourishment, that is, must live, grow, and do their work.

Rural life may limit further what comes from elsewhere, but it usually can be made rarely rich in what may be freshly raised at hand. With its abundance of fresh air and often fresh spring water the country provides for health-giving physical living that cannot be so fully insured under any other conditions.

Human foods support the life of humankind. They differ from the foods needed by both animals and plants but include both plants and animals themselves. Whatever humanity can digest, that is, can make over into body-tissue or otherwise use to aid in its living and working, is a human food. But all human foods are not equally desirable. Only those foods are valuable which do for the body what food needs to do to give the body health, energy, strength, endurance, and which do not do anything less helpful. Which foods these are varies somewhat with life-conditions.