"alimento" or "comida"?

Question

I'm a little confused as to the proper usage of the words "alimento" and "comida", both referring to food. What's the difference between them, and when should each be used over the other?

El termino alimento se usa de manera general para todo aquello que podemos comer y nos alimenta, pero cuando nos referimos a comida estamos hablando de manera mas formal, de un grupo de alimentos que integran una comida, desayuno o cena. Ayuda? - joseluismiranda, Jul 29, 2010

Answer 1

It's a bit confusing but "Alimento" means "that which nourishes". "Comida" literally means "food" although in some countries dinner is also called "comida" rather than "cena".

So in a way, alimento and comida both mean food.

Answer 2

Check out this thread link text

Personally I think la comida is "food" in a general sense whereas alimentacion is somewhat more formal referring to a sort of supermarket mentality as in "comestibles" etc. Hopefully someone will be along with a tighter take on it.

Speaking to people I mention comida, walking down the street I see business signs using alimentacion.

Answer 3

Hi James and Welcome to the Forum. There are some previous threads on this subject that seem to indicate they are similar. You can search for previous threads by using the search box in the answers area.

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