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.
Can you drink 1 (8) cup of low sodium v8 everyday?
Hi Theresa, I don’t see any reason why not. I’m sure many people do that.
Hi Joe,
I’ve been drinking V8 every day for lunch for about a month. I’ve noticed my stools are soft and brownish-orange? I know it’s from the V8 because I love tomatoes and when I eat a lot in the summer, I get the same effect. But I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe this was a bad thing and was it ok to drink every day. So I googled V8 and clicked on your link and was happy when I read your article and that it was so nutritional and also safe for me to drink every day. But was wondering if my stool will always be this color while I drink it, or after time will it go back to normal?
BTW I used to drink it yrs ago and I would add pepper because I love spicy tomatoes and I was surprised to read they sell it with pepper already in it, who knew lol
Hi Tammy, Glad you found my review helpful! I wonder if your brownish-orange colored stools could be due to the beta carotene and other carotenes compounds in V8? Carotenes are vitamin-like plant -nutrients. Tomatoes have them and so does V8 juice. They come in different colors such as yellow and orange.
If you only notice this while you are eating tomatoes or drinking V8 then that may be the cause. If you notice this happening at other times, see a doctor. It’s possible the color may change back to normal as your body adjusts to the tomatoes/V8 juice.
As an aside, if you ever start drinking beet juice, your urine may turn to a reddish color.
Let me know if in a month you still have this issue. I’m curious. You are the first to bring this up and I’ve not noticed the same thing when I drink it.
I think the spicey V8 Juice is relatively new. I was surprised to see it in stores too 🙂
Hi Joe,
I purchased the V-8 Juice with a touch of pepper from Amazon from your link. I wrote a review, mentioning that you through SupplementClarity.com had reviewed V-8 juice, and it is now online! You have to look at V-8 Juice with a Touch of Pepper.
Hey Roseann, that is so nice of you! Im glad they posted the review 🙂 🙂 I agree the pepper is a nice touch. It gives V8 some kick 🙂
Hi Joe,
I just bought one on Amazon that has extra pepper. Black pepper, I hope. I love pepper. My arthritis is on a rampage lately, and I have NOT been drinking my V-8. So I’ll start an anecdotal study, drink V-8 and tell you whether it decreases some of the arthritis pain.
Rosann, I like pepper too. I’m going to get some V8 today and sprinkle some pepper into it to see how it tastes. I never thought of doing this before you mentioned it 🙂
Sorry to hear about your arthritis. I know Ive probably asked before but are you close to a pool? warm water exercise classes can be benefiical for arthritis pain.
Joe, coincidentally I just talked to my sis in law last night when she mentioned going to do water therapy!! There are 2 pools a few miles from where I live, and I can go with her!! I don’t think the Wisconsin weather helps.
I use V-8 juice to make chili. I’m no great cook, so I buy a chili kit that already has the spices mixed. But when they say to add water, I add V-8 juice instead. Surprisingly, at a get together we had, cousins asked for my recipe, right down to each specific brand name item!! Of course, V-8 was a big part!
Rosann, that is GREAT about the pools nearby! Excellent! I’m so glad your sister-in-law mentioned this!! I think you will love it 🙂
I never thought of using V8 in chili!! That is a great idea! I like to make chili in my Crockpot. I may try this trick the next time 🙂 Tip – I add garbanzo beans and water chestnuts to my chili recipe 🙂
Joe, a “nectar of the gods” pepper is from Denver Spice Company on Amazon. It’s Butcher’s Cut Black Pepper and is really rough cut and SO GOOD! It comes in a vacuum-sealed bag, as the pepper is too thick to be placed in a shaker. I love it!
And the V-8 juice with pepper is delicious.
Im going to pick up that V8 juice up today. I’m definatley curious 🙂
I’m autistic, so V8 is a godsend. There’s a big variety of V8 offerings. I drink five kinds a day. Having numerous texture issues I’m greatly limited in what veggies I can eat. I also live alone and use personal refrigerator rather than use a lot more electricity for a conventional one. That further limits my ability to keep fresh veggies.
I’ve drank the original V8 for years. It occurred to me to add the others to my diet. That’s driven down my incidental consumption of snacks. It’s anecdotal, but I feel way more energy. With the many blends available, V8 is a good option for parents with autistic children who resist veggies.
Hi Patrick, thank you so much for sharing. I am happy to hear V8 juice has been so helpful to you. You bring up a very interesting point about the helpfulness of V8 juice to parents of kids with autism. I thank you very much for bringing this up.
Hi Patrick, what is a personal refrigerator?
Thank you,
Roseann
Pretty sure he means small. Like a ‘bar’ or hotel refrigerator
Thanks for saying that Mark – and Happy News Eve to you!
I am interested in adding V8 to my diet. I a hypoglycemic and need the vitamin as well as all the other benefits.
Hi Lisa, let us know what happens. I think you will like it. I prefer the low sodium V8 myself. 🙂
Great article, Joe. But I have to say that I have always gotten acidic stomach when I drink V8 (regular or low-sodium) on a daily basis. Do you have any thoughts or suggestions about this issue?
Hi George, thanks so much! I’m glad you found the review helpful. To your question, are you drinking V8 juice on an empty stomach or with food? My initial thoughts are acid stomach may be reduced if you drank it with some food.
WOW Who knew about V-8. I always liked the taste and flavor of V8 but thought it had a lot of preservatives and sugars in it. I stayed away from it…but now that I know its contents and value, it is going to become part of my morning and maybe even late night snack when I want something to snack upon that is not sweet.
Thanks Joe for researching this.
Quick question..
did you do something regarding vitamines and teas for cancers? specifically breast cancer or the new concept of immunology towards cancers?
Hi Denise, thanks so much! I’m glad this helped you 🙂 I dont think Ive done anything specifically on teas to battle cancer. I do like green tea and add it to my smmoothies – the whole tea bag. I tear open the bag and toss it into my VitaMix 🙂 Here’s my smoothie recipe
Ive also summarized the research on hibiscus tea to lower blood pressure too. Here’s that
review
I do think teas have a lot of healthy effects and Ive been wanting to write something on teas and health for a long time 🙂
The new research on using our immune system to target cancer cells is amazing. I have not seen anything on teas helping this but Im sure they do have effects on immunity.
I’ve always enjoyed V8. I will now enjoy it even more – and more often!
And I will recommend it to my friends and my clients.
Thank you,
Helene
Helene, me too. I think V8 makes a great pre-workout too 🙂
Joe,
If lack of fiber is a downside, why not just put a little psyllium husk source in it like Metamucil? Would seem to me to be smart to do esp if you weren’t getting enough fiber via other sources.
Jim, TShat’s an interesting idea about adding Metamucil to V8 juice. I’ve never tried it. I may just give it a try and see how it tastes 🙂
Joe, I love the V8 juices! I drink the blueberry-pomegranate juice, as I don’t care for the tomato flavor. Are the “flavored” V8 juices have all the same benefits as the original tomato flavors?
Patricia, good question. I have not looked at the V8 fruit juice varieties yet. I looked at the pometranate-blueberry flavor juice. It has the following ingredients
sweet potato
purple carrots
Juices Of Apples, White Grapes, Pomegranates and Blueberries
Im not sure if the benefits are exactly the same as V8 tomato juice but Im pretty sure there are some benefits based on the ingredients. For example, we know the purple colors in blueberries have positive effects on blood vessels and are antioxidants. I’m sure the same is true about purple carrots too. sweet potatoes have lots of beta carotene, an anti-oxidant. It also has 300 mg of potassium too which is pretty good.
Thank you so much for posting this. I never knew V8s were low in sodium, and had so many nutritional benefits. I will definately think about adding occassionally to my diet.
Hi Darlene, Thanks for saying that – I’m happy my review helped you. I think a lot of people believe there is only the higher sodium, original V8 juice. There’s actually 7 different V8 juice varieties, ranging from Original to even a low sodium/high fiber version. I drink the low sodium version myself 🙂
Doesn’t this have a lot of salt
Judie, regular V8 juice has 640 mg of sodium per 6 oz. That is quite high (28% daily value). Sodium can raise blood pressure but if you noticed in the video, regular V8 caused a reduction in blood pressure in those who started the study with pre-hypertention (what we call today elevated blood pressure). What caused that? V8 is high in potassium. maybe the potassium reduced the effect of the sodium? Its hard to say.
Id love to see the study repeated with low sodium V8 juice to see if there would be a greater reduction in blood pressure.
The regular V8, though delicious, has a ton of sodium. The low sodium brand tastes horrible.
Jay, I like the low sodium but I know taste is a personal thing. That’s an interesting website you have. I have not heard of ARX before. Thanks for making it known to me. It looks pretty neat!
organic veg juice is available! Knudsen makes it and so do store brands such as Sprouts, Whole Foods…
William, thanks for letting me know. I did not know about this 🙂
Thanks,Joe, this was great! A product that’s been around for years that I’ve completely overlooked is now on my radar and shopping list. I’ll also recommend it to clients and family!
Hey Cindy thanks so much! I think a lot of people overlook V8. I am starting to see TV commercials for V8 so that’s a good thing in my book.
I like your website by the way 🙂
On my shopping list!
Celia, yes! V8 is always on my list too 🙂
I sent this out to about 20 people who I love. I hope they read it and your other reviews.
Roseann, thanks so much for sharing with your friends 🙂
Hi Joe,
I immediately put V-8 juice on our shopping list!! What a great review! I guess most of us, including me, forget about the benefits of foods or juices that have been around for ages. I wish I had V-8 right now! Thank you for a real eye-opening review. I’m going to forward this review to my siblings.
Roseann
Roseann, thanks so much! Ive wanted to review V8 juice for a long time.:)
Joe, you convinced me. I’m buying V8 today!
Thank you SO MUCH for this.
Sandra, so happy I convinced you 🙂 I really think V8 juice is one of the easiest things we can do to get more veggies into the diet. I drink it myself every day.
its good also this to diabetic people?
Hi Beth, are you a type I or type II diabetic? From its nutrition facts label we can see V8 juice has 45 calories per serving, 9 grams of carbs and 7 grams of sugar. The sugars are natural and not added sugars. I personally see only upsides to drinking V8 juice.
Remember we are talking about the original V8 vegetable juice (and low sodium V8) and not the V8 Splash juices. The V8 Splash juices likley have more sugars – and added sugars.