Why potatoes matter in Americans’ nutrient intake
Potatoes are naturally nutrient-rich, supplying complex carbohydrates, potassium, fiber, protein, and key vitamins. A medium potato contributes meaningful amounts of fiber and potassium, two nutrients many Americans underconsume. Despite their nutrient density and popularity, both total vegetable and starchy vegetable consumption remain below recommended levels, even though potatoes have been associated with better overall diet quality and show no harm in relation to chronic disease risk in observational and clinical research. Recently, the american Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) reevaluated the roles of vegetables and “staple carbohydrate foods,” including whether grains and starchy vegetables could be considered interchangeable.
The proposed pattern ultimately reduced starchy vegetable recommendations to expand servings of legumes. However, lowering intake of a widely consumed, nutrient-dense, and already underconsumed subgroup may negatively affect nutrient adequacy. A recent study published in Frontiers in Nutrition, analyzed the contribution of starchy vegetables such as white potatoes to nutrient intake in the United States, particularly when compared to whole and refined grains. This study modeled the nutritional comparison of white potatoes and other starchy vegetables with refined and whole grains, and examined how dietary patterns would shift if these foods were substituted.
Potatoes raise key nutrients but reduce others
Recommended daily servings of white potatoes supplied notable proportions of key nutrients: 11 % of daily potassium, around 10 % of vitamin B6 and copper, and at least 5 % of fiber, magnesium, vitamin C, thiamin, and niacin, all while contributing only 5 % of daily calories. Potassium content in white potatoes was substantially higher than in whole grains and more than triple that of refined grains. However, whole grains provided far more fiber than starchy vegetables.
Current intake patterns showed overconsumption of refined grains and underconsumption of whole grains and white potatoes, while intake of other starchy vegetables nearly met recommendations. Comparing nutrient profiles revealed that a one-cup equivalent of starchy vegetables or potatoes delivered vastly more potassium and vitamin C than a two-ounce equivalent of grains but provided lower amounts of minerals such as calcium, iron, zinc, and several B vitamins.
Replacement modeling revealed that substituting refined grains with starchy vegetables increased potassium, fiber, vitamins B6 and C, and choline, but decreased iron, folate, selenium, riboflavin, and vitamin D. Replacing whole grains produced larger declines in fiber, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, and key vitamins. When both grain subgroups were replaced simultaneously, choline increased. Still, most micronutrient levels declined further, highlighting that grains and starchy vegetables provide distinct nutrient packages and are therefore not nutritionally interchangeable.
Potatoes help fill gaps but can’t replace grains
This analysis shows that white potatoes meaningfully contribute nutrients many Americans lack, including several vitamins, fiber, and potassium. Modeling results consistently indicate that starchy vegetables and grains offer different nutrient profiles and cannot be substituted for one another without trade-offs. Replacing grains with starchy vegetables increases potassium, vitamin C, and choline, but reduces iron, folate, riboflavin, and other micronutrients typically found in enriched or fortified grains.
The findings also highlight the potential implications of reducing starchy vegetable recommendations, particularly given the widespread potassium shortages and evidence that potatoes are a leading, affordable source of this nutrient. In American dietitians, the practical approach of counting carbohydrates (carb counting) or using exchange lists is widespread: different foods are grouped as starches because they have a similar impact on energy and blood sugar levels for the same serving of carbohydrates.
The CDC, for example, uses the concept of “1 carb choice = 15 g of carbohydrate” for starches. In these lists, potatoes (like other starchy vegetables) are often placed in the same category as bread/cereals (Starch/Bread), precisely to allow for “carbohydrate-equal” exchanges. Practical translation: if a plan calls for “1 serving of starches,” you can choose bread/pasta/rice or potatoes while maintaining a similar carbohydrate load (and therefore, often, calories).
But in the USDA guidelines, they are not the same group. In the USDA MyPlate model, wheat products are placed in the Grains Group (cereals), with a distinction between whole and refined grains. Potatoes are in the Vegetable Group, Starchy Vegetables subgroup. Therefore, they are interchangeable “as starch/carbohydrates,” but not “as a food group” in an educational/nutritional sense.
Edited by Dr. Gianfrancesco Cormaci, PhD, specialist in Clinical Biochemistry.
Scientific references
Richter C, Fulgoni K et al. Front Nutrition 2025; 12:1692564.
