title: The effect of professional dietary counseling: elite basketball players eat healthier during competition days.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Literature suggests that dietary intake of elite athletes may differ between training and competition days. In addition, despite the importance of nutrition in sports and the popularity of basketball, studies on the diet of basketball players are scarce. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess dietary intake and diet quality in training and competition days in a team of elite basketball players receiving daily professional nutritional counseling.
  
  
  METHODS
  One elite basketball team (N.=15) participating in EuroLeague volunteered for the study. The team employed a certified dietitian, responsible for providing individualized nutritional evaluation and counseling, dietary planning and supervision of the diet of all the players. Dietary intake was assessed using 24-hour recalls and the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) was then calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All players exhibited adequate (i.e., >80) HEI score (raw and adjusted for energy intake [EI]), on both training and competition days. Although daily energy, carbohydrate and protein intakes were greater during training compared to competition days (26.0 [21.7, 26.4] vs. 19.5 [19.3, 22.1] MJ, 7.6±1.5 vs. 6.8±0.9 g/kg of body weight [BW] and 2.6±0.6 vs. 2.2±0.2 g/kg BW, respectively; all P<0.05), HEI score (raw and adjusted for EI) was lower in training compared to competition days (92.9 [82.1, 93.2] vs. 94.0 [94.0, 94.0] and 89.7 [88.4, 89.7] vs. 92.7 [91.7, 92.8], respectively; all P≤0.001) due to lower total grains, whole grains and total vegetables consumption and greater saturated fats consumption (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Elite basketball players receiving daily nutritional counseling by certified sports dietitians exhibit adequate diet quality, with the highest possible observed during competition days.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Alexander Technological Educational Institute, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Anastasia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tsoufi
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Maria I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Maraki
authors.affiliation: Directorate of Secondary Education, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Leonidas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dimitrakopoulos
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, University of Thessaly, Trikala, Greece.
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Famisis
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Alexander Technological Educational Institute, Thessaloniki, Greece - maria@nutr.teithe.gr.
authors.forename: Maria G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Grammatikopoulou
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001490:Basketball / Q000523:psychology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods*; D000072001:Diet, Healthy / Q000523:psychology*; D002149:Energy Intake / Q000502:physiology; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009752:Nutritional Status; D055815:Young Adult