V8 vs Veggies

TheVirgoddess
TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Is V8 an acceptable substitute, in your opinion?

This is asked out of general curiosity.

Replies

  • Alisontheice
    Alisontheice Posts: 9,611 Member
    V8 has lots of sodium so be careful. You can get the low sodium kind but it's not good. :)
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
    It does have lots of sodium. I have a half serving once a week or so because I like it. But it got me wondering if using in place of vegetables was "frowned upon" here.

    Mostly I'm just being nosy ;)
  • segovm
    segovm Posts: 512 Member
    I've never heard anyone be especially critical of it except for the INSANE amount of sodium in it. The low sodium V8 is still pretty edible so if you keep them on hand for the occasional veggie fix that might be a good middle ground.

    I've been trying to add more carrot juice into my life to sort of mix up all the fruit juice I drink (got hooked on Naked Juices a while back). It's actually pretty tasty and doesn't need a pound of salt to help it go down.
  • emmaynecloit
    emmaynecloit Posts: 3 Member
    I personally love it on days that I'm below my Vitamin A or Vitamin C recommendations. I always opt for the low sodium version, and I don't find it unappealing at all (but then again, I never gave the regular kind a try so it's all I'm used to). If you like it, great, go for it! But you should still have veggies when you can. Use it to increase your consumption of vegetables, not to replace them. It'll make you feel fantastic!
  • Sarasota_Guy
    Sarasota_Guy Posts: 82 Member
    yeah I know they have the low-sodium version, but it's obviously a bit bland. I'd still rather have that occasionally than eat certain veggies I don't like. But I try to work the ones I do like (spinach, etc.) in everywhere I can.
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
    I love the spicy V8. I don't generally use it in place of veggies, I just wondered if people did. Thanks for answering :)
  • mom2sons02
    mom2sons02 Posts: 111 Member
    I use it in things I put tomato sauce in. Chili, spaghetti sauce, sloppy joe's, that sort of thing. I use it half and half with tomato sauce. My family hasn't seemed to notice and I feel like at least they are getting some vegetables. Some.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    I don't think it's necessarily bad to drink V8, but I would take a guess that you would blunt hunger more effectively by eating vegetables.
  • endermako
    endermako Posts: 785 Member
    I love me some V8 Low Sodium! I drink one can a day. I probably don't need to because of my shake in the morning. But I like the taste :)
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    It's not a substitute for getting enough vegetables in your diet.
  • jim180155
    jim180155 Posts: 769 Member
    I'd like to know what's in V8. If I knew, I'd try to make my own in my Vitamix.
  • awtume9
    awtume9 Posts: 423 Member
    I like spicy v8 in my beer. And the low sodium one is awful!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Not enough fiber compared to fresh veggies... plus the sodium. You're better off eating the veggies.
  • DymonNdaRgh40
    DymonNdaRgh40 Posts: 661 Member
    I drink the low sodium v8 often with my lunch. I still eat plenty of fresh fruit and veggies though. I actually like v8.
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,831 Member
    Recently, there's been more information coming out about the differences between eating whole fruits and vegetables versus just the juice. It seems our bodies don't process the juices as well.

    Although V8 calls an 8 oz. bottle one serving, it is really closer to what we call two servings of a raw vegetable like green beans.

    So, let's say we declare 8 oz. High Fiber V8 equivalent to two 110gr (1/2 cup) servings of green beans,

    V8 60 cal; beans 68 cal.
    V8 5 gr fiber; beans 10 gr fiber
    V8 480 mg sodium; beans 14 mg
    V8 7 gr sugars; beans 4 gr
    V8 2 gr protein; beans 4 gr

    V8 scores higher on vitamins A and C than the beans but we don't know if V8 uses vitamin supplements to reach these numbers. Some research has linked use of vitamin supplements to increased health risks but the jury is still out on this. (And yes, I'm still taking my daily multi-).

    You have to make your own decisions but V8 is not, nutritionally, an exact replacement for whole vegetables. If you want to drink your veggies, run them in the blender (not a juicer) and drink them, pulp and all.
  • Myhaloslipped
    Myhaloslipped Posts: 4,317 Member
    I love the low sodium kind. It is a good source of potassium. I have one serving on most days, but I also love vegetables and eat about 3-4 servings daily,
  • BeginningAgainMay14
    BeginningAgainMay14 Posts: 97 Member
    Is V8 an acceptable substitute, in your opinion?

    This is asked out of general curiosity.

    I love low sodium V-8, but not as a replacement for lots of whole fruits and vegetables. In general, I would say that occasionally using it in place of a vegetable serving is fine, but it shouldn't be a regular replacement. I drink one every couple of days because it makes me happy, not as one of my veggies. As others have said, fiber and sodium mean it's not like eating a tomato or a stalk of celery.
  • liftingandlipstick
    liftingandlipstick Posts: 1,857 Member
    I'd like to know what's in V8. If I knew, I'd try to make my own in my Vitamix.

    From the V8 websitre:

    What Vegetable Juices are included in V8® 100% Vegetable Juice?
    V8® 100% Vegetable Juice contains the juices of tomatoes, carrots, celery, beets, parsley, lettuce, watercress and spinach.

    ETA: I tried to guess first, and only got the first three.

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