Overview
It’s been around for almost 80 years. That’s an amazing amount of longevity for any consumer good. Products that last that long rarely are the same as they used to be, and this is most definitely the case with V8. The V8 of 1933 probably tasted fresh and delicious, was made from fresh or semi-fresh vegetables, and manufactured in reasonably sized batches.
The V8 of today is made in a giant processing plant, using vegetables sourced from all over the globe, and combined with all sorts of fillers and other “natural flavors” so that it gives the appearance, taste, and texture of something you could drink.
The Claim
No less than 8 different vegetable juices are used to make V8 and it gives you 2 full servings of vegetables. This contributes to a balanced lifestyle, according to their website.
The Hype
People walking around at a slant and then drinking a V8 and then walking normally is enough hype to make anyone want to try it.
The Cost
V8 is moderately priced. It’s about the same as other juice and soft drinks, so credit Campbell’s for not gouging the consumer on price. However, the old adage that you get what you pay for is definitely apt in this situation, and you must wonder how could they produce such a nutritious product for such little cost. The answer is that they can’t. Read on.
The Commitment
All that’s required of you is to drink a V8 every day in order to get the benefits claimed above. In fact, the slogan is “Could’ve had a V8” meaning instead of having other beverages, you should drink V8 instead because it’s better for you and will make you feel better than other options.
Evaluation
Perhaps the V8 that our grandparents drank was good for them, but unfortunately the product masquerading as a healthy choice is not the same thing. For as much as V8 costs you’d better believe that the manufacturer uses the lowest cost vegetables they can find, and keeps trying to find cheaper and cheaper materials to make it.
Unfortunately for consumers we live in an ultra-capitalistic marketplace. This means that the only way for Campbell’s to make more money from the sale of V8 is to increase the price or lower the cost of making it. Since they must compete with all of the other beverages on a crowded store shelf, they are forced to buy cheap tomatoes and other vegetables. The cheaper the better for them. The cheaper the worse for us, though.
You’d be better off buying an organic vegetable juice from as local a place as you can find. Pay the extra money because that’s the entire point of drinking this juice, right? If you’re paying the money and drinking the juice for its supposed health benefits, don’t choose V8 which uses industrial grade, nutrient-void vegetables to make something that looks and tastes the way it does.
Go with a small company that either grows their own vegetables or uses the best that they can find and sells it at a price that is fair to both you and them.
V8 provides
some amount of nourishment, but not to the level that their advertisements would have you believe. It’s an over-stated, over-hyped product and should not be used a cure-all to healthy eating. It’s not the highest quality beverage that you can drink, and in today’s era of multi-national corporations creating the foods and drinks we consume you just can’t trust any company with your health.Our Recommendation
Drinking V8 won’t do you any harm, but it also won’t do you as much good as Campbell’s would like you to believe. You can safely avoid the added expense and inconvenience of drinking a daily glass of what amounts to low-grade tomato juice by eating a balanced diet, and following proper eating.
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View Comments
I drink three to six cans a day because I have cramps and problems with stigmatism and I personally disagree with anyone who don't know the fact about the vitimans in v8 juice. I my self will continue to drink it everyday til I no longer can or it causes cancer . My self I believe that I may fight the cells that cancers derive from .
this GUY SOUNDS LIKE HE WAS DENIED A JOB THERE. this is totally biased. I've been drinking v8 for years. And I recall the week I started, how it changed my daily health and how I felt. Like with ALL products and services in our society there are pros and cons, but such is life. It certainly wont damage your health. I had some serious health conditions surrounding my liver and V8 played an integral role in making me feel better on a daily basis. I enjoy, I enjoy what I believe the benefits it has brought me health wise and I will continue to drink it.
What a stupid argument. You don't mention anything about A) does it contains the juice it say, B) does it contain the antioxidants is says or C) is this product any good. Your whole premise is: It's mass produced so therefore it can't be as good as they want you to believe. You should rename your blog "my opinion on why you shouldn't buy this stuff in case you care"
I can't argue with secret information, "combined with all sorts of fillers." Apparently not listed on the can. "You’d be better off buying an organic vegetable juice from as local a place as you can find. Pay the extra money because that’s the entire point of drinking this juice, right?" The "you'd be better off" argument has no boundaries, and is rarely useful. I'd be better off to squeeze an organically grown jicama lovingly cultivated and harvested under perfect conditions into a glass first thing every morning before my 12 mile run, rather than eat a brussel sprout from my local grocer before walking around the block. Or I could drink a coke. There is always something better you could do (but not with as much certainty as we wish),and there is always something worse you can do (we can get that wrong, too). "You can safely avoid the added expense and inconvenience of drinking a daily glass of what amounts to low-grade tomato juice by eating a balanced diet, and following proper eating." Thanks, but then I wouldn't get to enjoy a convenient healthy drink mid-afternoon.
What did the writer of this article base any of their opinions on?
First, the whole organic movement is bullshit. It’s based on pseudo-science. There is absolutely no evidence to suggest organics are healthier, only costlier.
Second, what’s the difference between the “good” small batches, and the “bad” large batches made today. Ahh, it got scaled up, must be crap now.
Industrial grade vegetables? I’ve never heard of such a thing. It didn’t come from an Amish farmer, and cost $4/ a tomato...obviously that tomato has no nutrional value. Please provide evidence jackass.
And my god, so a company advertizes? My god, what is the world coming to?
Nothing in this article is based on any sort of evidence, or even facts. It’s just some pro-organic propaganda.
You want V8 advice: juice isn’t as healthy as the whole vegetable. Fresh juice is almost certainly better as there will be some degradation during the heating, air exposure, canning, shelving of the product.
If you are looking for a healthier option than sodas, cheap juices, sweetened beverages, this is a fantastic option. If you are having trouble getting all your vegetables in during the day, this may help you supplement. The low sodium, high fiber options are better for you. The spicy kind is amazing for bloody marys.
Don’t buy into bullshit from some health but writer on the Internet, who doesn’t have a degree in science or nutrition... and provides no evidence to back up their claims. D bag
orgainics are better if only due to lack of pesticides on them. The real benefit is from soil organisms and healthier soil. commercially farmed soil has a shortage of minerals and trace elements. but mostly its pasture raised food that has benefits. beef raised on grass, and chickens that eat bugs and forbes. The eggs have double the nutrients and so do the beef. please put that in your pipe and smoke it. Oh I almost forgot. pasture raised beef is healthier and needs few, if any antibiotics.
I'm pretty sure the Bible says to not swear and call someone else a name. I could be wrong... Make the world a better place by not swearing and calling someone else a name.
There is an ironic reason why organic vegetables are better. They are NOT more nutritious than other vegetables. But, they are grown in a way that is better for the planet. No pesticides, no herbicides, etc. is just good for everyone and everything. Also, locally grown vegetables are better for us all. That's because it takes less gasoline (less pollution) to deliver them to your local store than if you bought them sourced from further away.
While I largely agree with your assessment, I would prefer if v8 were made from organic vegetables for one reason: glyphosphate (roundup). I have been seeing reports that glyphosphate is being found in human breastmilk at higher amounts than in urine. So it is building up in our bodies at least to some degree (putting a healthy dose of doubt into Monsanto's claims of absolute safety for the stuff). Fortunately, vegetables aren't as high risk as grains for delivering glyphosphate to us. Grains are being sprayed directly with roundup just prior to harvest to kill the plants so the seeds can dry and be ready all at one time. Given the amount of money Monsanto has on the line for the product, it is best to play it safe when it comes to roundup.
You nailed the head... he truly has no evidence lol
Has reporting and journalism always been this terrible or am.i just that much better at spotting nonsense now? "Industrial grade vegetables," do you mean basically every vegetable that wasn't grown in a backyard garden and sold somewhere other then a farmers market? This writer would rather you spend $6-10 for one cup of fresh local organic vegtable juce then $4 for 8 cups of vegtable juice. If the writers ability to prove anything through facts and logic is indicative of his pay then he can't afford daily fresh local small batch organic juice and is better off getting a few bottles of v8. The way this guy writes he should have left a path from painting himself in a corner and just said juicing you own local fresh organic vegtables is healthier then v8 and price comparable not including all the self work and time it requires.........terrible article, it almost comes off as a propaganda piece.
This article is not really true. V8 is made from decent vegetables. Not organic, but no worse than what you'd find in the supermarket.
What is true, is that drinking V8 every day (a can or two a day) can in fact improve your health to a degree and make you feel better. It also fills you up somewhat, and kills your appetite briefly. This may help with weight loss (have a 70 calorie V8 instead of soft drink and chips).
There is NO DOUBT that V8 juice is far better for you than soft drinks, caffeinated coffee, sweet tea, or alcohol.
Aw, but those capitalist pigs... therefore you must not drink V8.
While my suspicions conform to your speculations about V8, they're only that: suspicions in my case, speculation on yours.
I thought that some evidence to back up your speculation would've been nice.
You certainly didn't bring any authority to the question.
charlie horse try a ice cold drink of water it chilled mine right to my knee, Another cause if you re heat your coffee in the micro wave stand by for a couple good charlie horse leg cramps in a couple hours the micro heat must break out the devil sure does it to me.V8 juice for my knees ... An Aussie Airforce guy told me Bruce V8 juice for your knees .. 1985 the doc wanted to operate I taught judo a lot so my knees got banged up.. Took up swimming and joint strengthing exercises. cancelled the operation... 2014 went on the waiting list stlllwaiting doc says 6mon to a year SO I have gone heavy on the V8 juice and garden juice well guess what followed the Aussies advice I stopped using my cane I needed for 18 months I will be 80 in Jan 2017 thinking of cancelling surgery again dont want to go through the pain suffering and rehab if I can avoid it
I had a bad case of getting a Charlie Horse in my leg almost every night. In researching I discovered that a Charlie Horse is basically a muscle spasm. One of the causes is low potassium. V8 Vegetable Juice (11.5oz cans) claims to have 34% of daily needs of potassium. I started drinking 1-2 cans every morning and my Charlie Horses basically are gone. I rarely get them anymore.
I actually got a co-worker who also was having Charlie horse problems to start drinking them and he said that he is doing better.
salt. Yes salt will stop the Charlie horses. Period. pink salt is best.....muscle cramps are a shortage of salt.
I use to have a similar problem with my legs cramping in the middle of the night that were so painful they would not only wake me up, but wake up my screaming or crying. I started eating a banana with my breakfast and changed my regular lettuce for spinach and they stopped. And doing both was cheaper and healthier than a V8 a day.