Carbohydrate confusion and dietary patterns: unintended public health consequences of “food swapping”

The 2025–2030 United States Dietary Guidelines process is currently underway, and the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee is examining and evaluating a list of prioritized scientific questions identified by the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the United States Department of Agriculture. One of the questions that will be evaluated is if changes should be made to USDA Dietary Patterns based on whether starchy vegetables and grains are, or can be, consumed interchangeably. These foods have historically been classified in distinct food groups. Menu modeling analyses evaluating the impact of replacing starchy vegetables with grains result in declines in key nutrients of concern. Given their unique nutrient contributions and the fact that many cultural foodways within the United States population include both starchy vegetables and grains, it is important for dietary recommendations to continue to categorize starchy vegetables and grains separately.