| Summary: | Previous research indicates that dietary habits may differ between athletes of different sports. In this cross-sectional study, we hypothesize meal frequency, food choices, and food preferences will significantly differ between contact types. The participants were athletes (<i>n</i> = 92; men: <i>n</i> = 57, body fat percent (BF%): 14.8 ± 8.4%, body mass index (BMI): 25.5 ± 5.5 kg·m<sup>−2</sup>; women: <i>n</i> = 36, BF%: 26.7 ± 7.3%, BMI: 22.3 ± 2.7 kg·m<sup>−2</sup>) from high-contact (HCS), low-contact (LCS), and non-contact (NCS) sports. Meal frequency, food preference, and food choice questionnaires assessed factors influencing dietary habits. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measured lean body mass, fat mass, and body fat. A GLM multivariate analysis was used with significance accepted at <i>p</i> < 0.05. Significant body composition differences were observed between genders (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and among sports (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Dinner (83.7%), lunch (67.4%), and breakfast (55.4%) were the most frequently eaten meals, followed by evening snack (17.8%), afternoon snack (15.2%), and morning snack (8.7%). Greater preferences for starches were observed for HCS (<i>p</i> = 0.04; η<sup>2</sup> = 0.07) and for a greater preference for vegetables was found for NCS (<i>p</i> = 0.02; η<sup>2</sup> = 0.09). Significant differences also existed in the importance of health (<i>p</i> = 0.04; η<sup>2</sup> = 0.07), weight control (<i>p</i> = 0.05; η<sup>2</sup> = 0.11), natural content (<i>p</i> = 0.04; η<sup>2</sup> = 0.07), and price (<i>p</i> = 0.04; η<sup>2</sup> = 0.07). These results support our hypothesis that food choices and food preferences differ between contact types. This may help sports dieticians create more individualized nutrition programs.
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