V8 is one of the original health drinks in the US. It’s composed of vegetables, fruits and flavorings, and the brand describes itself as “The Original Plant-Powered Drink.”
But is V8 actually good for you? Does it contain any unhealthy additives? Why was the brand sued over its health claims? And can you make V8 at home?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in V8 to give our take on whether or not it's good for you.
We'll also analyze the ingredients in V8 Energy, explain why V8's manufacturer was sued for alleged false advertising, and feature a video showing how to make a healthier, homemade version of V8.
Key takeaways:
- Fruit and vegetable juice has documented health benefits
- V8 has some additives we consider unhealthy
- We consider V8 to be good for you overall
Ingredient Analysis – V8 Original
The ingredients in V8 Original are shown below:
image source: https://www.campbells.com/v8/
The main ingredients are a blend of vegetables: carrots, celery, beets, parsley, lettuce, watercress and spinach.
A 2017 medical review documents that fruit and vegetable juice can have favorable effects on the cardiovascular system, including potential reductions in blood pressure and cholesterol depending on the fruits and vegetables used.
Most medical studies on juice from produce suggests more health benefits than risks, as we documented in our article on the popular Naked drink.
There are also two flavoring ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
Citric acid is a preservative and flavor enhancer that can cause inflammatory reactions in the body according to a medical review published in the Toxicology Reports journal.
Natural flavoring is a broad categorical descriptor that fails to document the specific chemical compounds used to create the flavoring.
A 2013 medical review suggests that some flavoring additives and their metabolites may be unhealthy for humans.
Beta carotene is a naturally-derived antioxidant that was shown in a medical review published in the Nutrients journal to slightly increase the risk of cardiovascular events.
We don’t understand the need for V8 to add synthetic vitamins and nutrients when vegetables are already nutrient-rich.
Overall, we believe that V8 is good for you because it's primarily composed of vegetables.
Why Was V8 Sued?
In 2018, Campbell's Soup (the owner of the V8 brand) was sued over allegations of false advertising.
The plaintiffs alleged that V8 was deceptively marketing their "Splash" drinks as full of fruits and vegetables, while only containing 2% fruit and vegetable juice in some cases.
We consider V8 Splash to be considerably less healthy than V8 Original, because it's packaged in plastic and contains a relatively high dose of added sugar.
We don't believe that consumers need to worry about this lawsuit, since it's about marketing claims and not product issues, but we would recommend V8 Original over V8 Splash to consumers considering this brand.
At the time of updating this article, it's unclear what the status of this lawsuit is.
Is Homemade V8 Healthier?
A YouTube video from a channel called “Plant Abundance” shows how to make homemade V8 using fresh produce. This may be a healthier option than the brand-name drink due to the lack of additive ingredients:
Ingredient Analysis – V8 Energy
The ingredients in the Sparkling Orange Pineapple flavor of V8 Energy are shown below:
image source: https://www.campbells.com/v8/
This drink has less caffeine (80 milligrams) than the average energy drink we’ve reviewed on Illuminate Health, which may make it a safer option for those with anxiety or cardiovascular issues.
This is less than the caffeine in one cup of coffee.
This energy drink is partially flavored with fruit and vegetable juice, making it a more nutritious and healthy option than commercial energy drinks like Red Bull.
However, there are still some questionable additive ingredients in this formulation.
We explained why we don’t recommend citric acid, natural flavoring and vitamin additives in the previous Ingredient Analysis section.
Sucralose is an artificial sweetener that’s clinically shown to worsen insulin function, as we discussed in our review of Muscle Milk.
Overall, we do not consider V8 Energy to be good for you, although we do consider it to be a healthier option than commercial alternatives such as Monster and Red Bull.
Our Clean Veggie Juice Pick
Very Veggie from RW Knudsen is our top pick for a vegetable juice.
This juice is organic, packaged in glass rather than plastic, and free of citric acid and flavoring additives. The only ingredients are organic vegetables and filtered water.
Purchasing juices packaged in glass rather than plastic may be better for human health (and the environment), because plasticizing chemicals are clinically shown to leach and have hormone-disrupting effects.
