Update 8/23/20. V8 Juice was the first thing I tried to make after purchasing my Vitamix many years ago. It didn't go so well. After that fiasco, I decided to keep things simple with making smoothies and buying Campbell's V8 Vegetable Juice instead. In this world of over-hyped superfood juices, I don't think V8 Juice gets the attention it deserves. Besides being around almost 100 years, V8 Juice has some interesting health benefits. In this review, I'll show you some of those benefits. Don't be surprised if you find yourself reaching for vegetable juice as you read this – just as I did when I wrote it.
V8 Vegetable Juice Nutrition Facts
The foods in the Juice are as follows: tomatoes, carrots, beets, celery, lettuce, parsley, spinach and watercress.
Here are the basic nutrition facts for what's in 8 oz of the Low Sodium V8
| % DV | ||
| Calories | 45 | |
| Total fat | 0 g | |
| Saturated fat | 0 g | |
| Trans fat | 0 g | |
| Cholesterol | 0 g | |
| Sodium | 140 mg | 6% |
| Total Carbs | 9 g | 3% DV |
| Dietary fiber | 1 g | 4% DV |
| Total Sugar | 7g | |
| Added Sugars | 0 g | |
| Protein | 2 g | |
| Vitamin D | 0g | |
| Iron | 1 mg | 6%DV |
| Vitamin A | 190 mcg | 20% DV |
| Calcium | 30 mg | 2% DV |
| Potassium | 850 mg | 15% DV |
| Vitamin C | 72 mg | 80% DV |
When reading nutrition labels, look at the Daily Values (% DV) and remember these 2 rules:
- Anything that's 5% or less is low
- Anything that'ts 20% or more is high
V8 Juice Nutrition High Points
So what does the Nutrition Facts label tell us: As I see it, the Juice is:
- High in vitamin A
- Really high in Vitamin C
- Almost high in potassium
- Almost considered low in sodium
It's also pretty low in calories too with only 45 calories per serving.
Some people call out its lack of fiber. I get that. Both Original and Low Sodium versions have just 1 gram of fiber, although the High Fiber V8 has 5 grams. While the Juice is generally low in fiber, so too are most pre-made juices too.
This is one big advantage food has over juices made from food.
See my fiber-rich smoothie recipe.
Video Review
Top 5 Health Benefits
1. V8 Juice Counts as Veggies
Seven out of the top 10 killers of Americans could be reduced if people at more fruits and vegetables. According to the CDC, Americans should try to eat AT LEAST 2-3 cups of vegetables per day. That's the minimum.
According to ChooseMyPlate, any vegetable or 100% vegetable juice counts as a member of the veggie family. Drinking just 1/2 cup of 100% vegetable juice equals a serving of veggies.
So, if you were told to increase your vegetable intake – that's most of us – drinking V8 vegetable juice can help.
2. V8 Juice Can Lower Blood Pressure
If you have hypertension, you may want to consider adding this vegetable juice to your daily routine because it may help reduce your blood pressure.
This study involved 86 men and women who were followed for 12 weeks. Everyone was told to follow the DASH Diet, a clinically proven eating program for controlling high blood pressure.
The people were split into the following 3 groups:
- Group 1 drank 8 Oz of vegetable juice per day
- Group 2 drank 16 oz of vegetable juice
- Group 3 drank no vegetable juice
Even though they were told to eat more fruits and vegetables, most didn't.
This is important.
Results: Even though their diets were not as good as researchers hoped, drinking V8 Juice, caused significant reductions in blood pressure in those who started out with pre-hypertension (we call this elevated blood pressure now).
Here's the really interesting part: This study used the original vegetable juice which contained 480 mg of sodium. These people did not drink low sodium vegetable juice.
3. V8 Juice Is Full of Antioxidants
Because it's made from vegetables, V8 contains a wide spectrum of antioxidants. Even though they are not listed on the nutrition facts label, we know they are present. For example, An 8 oz glass contains a whopping 16 mg of lycopene.
This is 5 times as much lycopene as a medium-size tomato! Lycopene is a natural antioxidant found in tomatoes, watermelon, and red cabbage. Research finds lycopene can improve the health of:
Other antioxidants in V8 Juice include:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin E
The Juice also contains B vitamins too.
4. Vegetable Juice Raises Nitric Oxide
Nitric oxide is a substance made inside our blood vessels. It relaxes blood vessels, lowers blood pressure and helps blood move through the body. Vegetables contain the building blocks of nitric oxide. But what about vegetable juice?
Yes, juice can help too.
When researchers gave 20 healthy people vegetable juice for 3 days, they noticed the juice raised nitric oxide levels by almost 245% above normal. While this study did not use V8, it stands to reason this juice would also improve nitric oxide levels.
This nitric oxide boosting effect may be due to the potassium in the Juice and is likely why it appears to lower blood pressure in some people.
This study did not use Campbell's vegetable juice but it stands to reason any quality made vegetable juice would have similar effects.
5. Vegetable Juice Alters The Microbiome
Consumption of vegetable juice is known to improve the microbiome, those bacteria which live inside of us. When people were put on a 4-day vegetable juice fast, researchers observed fecal samples showed a decrease in bad bacteria and improved concentration of good bacteria like Bacteroidetes.
The bacteria called bacteroidetes are interesting in light of evidence linking a decrease in bacteroidetes to weight gain. Thus, improving bacteroidetes concentration may -in theory – help weight loss.
Bacteria eat fiber for energy. The fact vegetable juice was still able to promote healthy a healthy microbiome – without having much fiber – is a very interesting finding. It tells us healthy gut microbiota eats more than just fiber.
Here's my favorite microbiome health book
V8 Juice Top 10 FAQ
1 When Was V8 Invented?
There seem to be 2 stories on the invention of the Juice. The Campbell Soup company says it was invented by W.G. Peacock and his son in 1933. The Wikipedia page for the product says it was invented in 1933 by Frank Constable who worked for the New England Products Company owned by W.G. Peacock. The vegetable Juice was named after the automobile V8 engine. I'm sure the 8 veggies in the juice also played a role in the name too.
2 Is V8 Non-GMO?
Yes. The majority of Juices contain non-GMO ingredients. Only V8 Splash and the Bloody Mary Mix, contain sugar and corn from genetically modified ingredients. Everything else is GMO-free. All the Juice containers are recyclable too.
3 Is it Gluten-Free?
Yes. The only brands which have gluten are V8 Splash and Bloody Mary Mix. All other varieties of the vegetable juice are 100% gluten free.
4 What About Organic V8 Juice?
Currently, none of the vegetable juice varieties are organic. Most versions are Non-GMO.
5 What Are The Natural Flavorings?
The natural flavors in V8 Juice come from mostly vegetables. No animal products are used.
6 How Much Vitamin K is in V8 Juice?
There are 9 micrograms of vitamin K in 8 oz of the vegetable Juice (V8 Original, Low Sodium, Spicy Hot and Low Sodium Spicy Hot varieties). This equals 8% of the daily value for vitamin K. Vitamin K is a great mineral and plays a role in blood clotting. People who take blood thinners like coumadin should know about the vitamin K content of their foods.
7 Does V8 Have Added Sugars?
No. There is no added sugar in V8 juice. The sugar in the Juice is naturally occurring and comes from the vegetables. My guess is most of the sugar may come from the carrots and beets in the product.
8 Any Stimulants?
There are no stimulates like caffeine in V8 vegetable juice.
9 Where Is It Made?
The Juice is made in America! Who knew?
10 Does It Have Any BPA?
Nope. Neither the plastic bottles nor cans of V8 Vegetable Juice contain any BPA.
Where Do The V8 Vegetables Come from?
Not only is the Juice is made in the US, but the tomatoes also come from California and the carrots are sourced from both Michigan and Ohio.
The customer service people could not tell me the exact regions where the other vegetables were sourced from. They did say most of the food sources are grown in America. The Vegetable Juice is processed in Napoleon OH and Dixon California.
In case you did not know, many supplements (and medicines) now come from China. Kudos to Campbell Soup Company for not doing this.
V8 Juice vs.
No clinical research comparing the effects of V8 Juice to other vegetable juices or powdered drinks can be located. I assume all well-made vegetable juices have somewhat similar health effects.
Any V8 Side Effects
The Juice is healthy. The juice has been around since the 1930s. If any weird side effects did occur, we would have heard of them by now.
Obviously, no juice or supplement can replace eating food so it's always good to choose real vegetables whenever possible. Vegetable juice can help fill in gaps and help people reach the recommended dietary amounts.
One report details kidney failure in a man who went on a 6-week juice fast, juicing his own vegetables. His kidney failure was attributed to the high amounts of oxalate contained in the foods he was consuming. This report is not relevant to V8 Juice because he was juicing different foods. For the record, nobody should drink juice weeks at a time.
Because vegetable juice contains some vitamin K, people who take blood thinners should speak to their doctor.
What Are You Waiting For?
V8 Vegetable Juice is healthy and is a time-tested, research-based juice that costs less than other, unproven, untested, and often overpriced superfood juices. Drink up.