ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutritional Epidemiology
Assessment of the Unique Nutrient Contribution of White Potatoes in the Diet and the Nutrient Implications of Replacing Refined and Whole Grains with Starchy Vegetables
Provisionally accepted
Chesney Richter1*
Kristin Fulgoni2
Victor L Fulgoni III2
Bonnie Johnson3Michelle Kijek1Shelley Maniscalco1Tricia Psota1- 1Nutrition In Demand, Arlington, United States
- 2Nutrition Impact, LLC, Battle Creek, United States
- 3Potatoes USA, Denver, United States
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Background: Potatoes are a versatile and naturally nutrient-dense vegetable that contain many nutrients, including fiber, potassium, and vitamins C and B6. The 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) considered changes to the Vegetable subgroups and potential interchangeability of Grains and Starchy Vegetables. This modeling analysis was conducted to quantify the nutrient contribution of white potatoes and Starchy Vegetables compared to Refined and Whole Grains. Methods: The objectives from the 2025-2030 DGAC protocol "What are the implications for nutrient intakes when modifying the quantities of the Grains group within the Healthy U.S.-Dietary Pattern" were modeled using the 2025 DGAC Staple Carbohydrate Foods Food Pattern Modeling (FPM) protocol and 2020 DGAC FPM analyses. The modeling focused on females 19-30 years of age and males 51+ years of age to match the 2000 calorie level widely used in dietary recommendations. Results: The recommended daily serving of white potatoes (0.58 cup equivalents) provides 11% of daily potassium and 6% of daily fiber, as well as vitamins B6 and C, copper, magnesium, thiamin and niacin. White potatoes are currently underconsumed, while the current intake of Other Starchy Vegetables (e.g., corn, green peas, plantains) nearly meets the recommended amount. Replacing Refined Grains with Starchy Vegetables increases fiber, potassium, vitamin C, and choline intake, but decreases other nutrients such as iron, folate, and riboflavin. Replacing Whole Grains with Starchy Vegetables similarly increases potassium, vitamin C, and choline, but decreases the intake of fiber, calcium, iron, magnesium, folate and other vitamins. Conclusion: These results provide insight into the unique nutritional contribution of white potatoes and demonstrate that Starchy Vegetables and Grains are not interchangeable in dietary patterns based on their unique nutritional packages. Reducing Therefore, reducing the recommended intake of Starchy Vegetables may be counterproductive for improving diet quality.
Keywords: Dietary patterns, Nutrient density, dietary guidelines, Potatoes, Starchy vegetables
Received: 25 Aug 2025; Accepted: 27 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Richter, Fulgoni, Fulgoni III, Johnson, Kijek, Maniscalco and Psota. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Chesney Richter, chesney@nutritionindemand.com
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