Is drinking V8 juice healthy? Is it better than fresh whole vegetables?

There is a relatively new drink in the market, the V8 juice. Campbell makes it with claims that it is 100% pure vegetable juice. What does it contain? Is it healthy? How does it compare to whole fresh fruit and vegetables?

The V8 juice of Campbell

The famous Campbell company has come out with V8 juice. It is 100% pure vegetable juice, according to the manufacturer. Their website states that it is uniquely blended to provide you with a delicious taste. And it has 2 servings of vegetables in a glass of the drink which is equal to 8 ounces.

The vegetable juice contains:

Water
Concentrated juices of 8 vegetables namely tomatoes, carrots, celery, beets, parsley, lettuce, watercress, and spinach
Salt
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)
Citric acid
Beta carotene
Natural flavoring.

Thus it has both vitamin A and C in each can of the drink. There are 4 different types of these drinks. Some contain malic acid, caffeine from green and black tea, sucralose and vitamin B. There is also the low sodium drinks.

According to the company, there is no artificial color or flavor in the drinks. They add no preservatives or sugar to it. And they use non-GMO vegetables in their making.

Is it healthy?

The normal V8 juice has high sodium content. Each can provides 640 mg of sodium. This is OK for an athlete who perspires and loses a lot of sodium while playing. But for a regular person, this amount of salt is high consumption and can lead to high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, and heart and kidney overload. Dietitian Danielle Crumble Smith opines:

“Unless you’re getting the low sodium [V8], there’s a ton of sodium in that,”

The drink has lycopene in it. This is useful to reduce risk and severity of cardiovascular diseases. Its vitamin B is good for vegans and vegetarians who are unable to get the essential B vitamins from their non-meat foods.

Moreover, it is a convenient and easy way to have vegetables and fruits. But it does have its limitations.

Does the juice score over the fresh whole fruits and vegetables?

One burning question that comes to the mind is whether the juice can replace eating of fresh fruits and vegetables. Then, the answer is NO. There are other nutrients in fresh whole fruits and vegetables that you miss out when you take the juice. The main among this is dietary fiber. Most adults in the USA require at least 28 grams of dietary fiber per day. And most of these come from vegetables, fruits, beans, legumes, and whole grains.

V8 has just 2 grams fiber in 8 ounce of the drink. There is a V8 high fiber drink that has 3 times more fiber or 6 grams in 8 ounces. Danielle explains:

“Try to eat your fruits and veggies as opposed to drinking them,”

“And if you would prefer to drink them, then putting them in a smoothie where you’re actually blending the whole fruit and vegetable and getting the fiber, that’s actually going to be best.”

Also, read 5 vegetables that can help reduce high blood cholesterol

He continues:

“Sure, you might not feel as bloated just because there’s nothing to digest but in reality, our liver is designed to naturally be able to detox our body,”

“Oftentimes at the end of it, people are just so hungry from not eating anything that they end up … eating a lot of carbs and sugars just because their body has been lacking in nutrients and is seeking energy.”