Last Updated on November 7, 2022 by

Yes, yes it is. Studies have shown that drinking V8 can result in weight loss. One study found that participants following an energy restriction diet lost more weight when they supplemented with a high-carbohydrate vegetable juice (such as V8) rather than a low-carbohydrate fruit juice or water.

V8 is an amazing drink that has great health benefits and it also helps you lose weight. If you ask any doctor he will recommend drinking this vegetable juice as it is an excellent source of nutrients and vitamins in your diet. The antioxidants help boost immunity, which is the body’s defense system to fight off illness or infection. Want to know Is V8 Good For Weight Loss, make sure you read this article.

Is V8 Good For Weight Loss

Decades of studies have documented the link between eating a diet rich in vegetables and multiple health benefits, yet nearly eight out of 10 people worldwide fall short of the daily recommendation. Research presented at the International Symposium on Human Health Effects of Fruits and Vegetables suggests the best approach may be to focus on the factors that are often behind this vegetable gap: convenience and enjoyment.

Two studies presented at the symposium found that the addition of vegetable juice in people’s diets was a successful strategy to help them reach the vegetable guidelines (at least 4 servings per day). In fact, the addition of a portable drink, such as V8- 100% vegetable juice, was more successful than an approach that focused solely on nutrition education, or offering dietary counseling on ways to increase vegetable intake.

Researchers at the University of California-Davis conducted a 12-week study among adults ages 40-65 years. All of the people in the study who drank at least two cups of vegetable juice met daily vegetable recommendations, yet only seven percent of the non-juice drinkers met the goal. The participants in the study with borderline high blood pressure who drank one to two servings of V8 juice lowered their blood pressure significantly.

According to the research, the vegetable juice drinkers said they enjoyed the juice and felt like they were doing something good for themselves by drinking it.

“Enjoyment is so critical to developing eating habits you can stick with for the long-term,” said study co-author Carl Keen, PhD, Professor of Nutrition and Internal Medicine at the University of California-Davis. “Health and nutrition professionals must help people find simple ways for people to get their vegetables or they simply won’t do it, and that means they won’t reap the benefits of a vegetable-rich diet. Vegetable juice is something that people enjoy, plus it’s convenient and portable, which makes it simple to drink every day.”

Research conducted at the Baylor College of Medicine revealed that drinking vegetable juice helped overweight individuals with metabolic syndrome lose more weight compared to non-juice drinkers. In the study, participants who drank one to two servings of Low Sodium V8- 100% vegetable juice a day as part of a balanced diet increased their vegetable intake and lost an average of four pounds over the 12-week study period. Those who did not drink juice lost only one pound.

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of risk factors for heart disease and diabetes that includes excess body fat in the midsection, high blood pressure, high blood sugar and elevated blood cholesterol.

“Heart disease and obesity are two major global health issues today, so if we can provide people with actionable, small steps in reducing risk factors, that’s a big win in promoting good health” said study co-author John Foreyt, PhD, Director of the Behavioral Medicine Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine. “We’re encouraged to see that something as easy as drinking vegetable juice can help people increase their vegetable intake and have significant health benefits.”

The benefits of V8

From soda and energy drinks to fruit-flavored juices and cocktails, an array of clearly unhealthy drinks is available in your supermarket’s beverage aisle. Most of these have little to no nutritional value and large amounts of added sugar.

V8 is made from vegetables and contains many of the same nutrients you’d find in whole vegetables. Plus, it has no added sugar. According to the Campbell’s website, V8 contains the juice of eight vegetables:

• tomatoes (V8 is mostly tomato juice)
• carrots
• beets
• celery
• lettuce
• parsley
• spinach
• watercress

Because of these ingredients, V8 is considered an excellent source of vitamins A and C. Low-sodium V8 is also an excellent source of potassium, as potassium chloride is added. An 8-ounce glass has only 45 calories and 8 grams of carbohydrate (if you subtract the 1 gram of fiber).

Given this nutrition profile, and because you can technically count a serving of V8 as two servings of vegetables, many people like the convenience of V8 when they want to choose a healthier drink.

Why it’s not a health food

Drinking V8 certainly isn’t as bad as drinking the majority of today’s soft drinks, such as soda, fruit juices, sports drinks, and energy drinks. But because of the way it’s processed, it’s also not exactly a superfood. For one thing, most of the vegetables’ fiber is removed.

The fiber in plant foods is important for health because it:

• fills you up, helping to prevent overeating
• slows the rise in blood sugar caused by high-carbohydrate foods
• is beneficial for digestion
• promotes regular bowel movements and helps prevent constipation
• helps protect against heart disease
• nourishes good bacteria in the gut
• improves cholesterol levels
• reduces cancer risk

Pasteurized and from concentrate

In addition to being stripped of fiber, pasteurizing the juices means bringing them to a high heat, which destroys a significant amount of the vegetables’ vitamins, enzymes, and other beneficial nutrients.

V8’s juices are also “reconstituted” from concentrate, which means that the water is removed and then added back. This makes them a far cry from fresh vegetable juice to begin with. Also listed in the ingredients is the dubious “natural flavoring.”

Natural flavors, while derived from real food, are synthetic, highly processed chemicals that may be contaminated with up to 80 percent of “incidental additives,” such as propylene glycol, sodium benzoate, and glycerin. None of these additives are required to be listed in the ingredients.

Sodium content

As with many processed foods, V8 uses salt to add flavor and preserve the juices. The high sodium content can be a problem, especially if you’re trying to limit your salt intake.

V8’s original formula of vegetable juice contains 640 mg of sodium per serving. The low-sodium version of V8 contains only 140 mg of sodium in an 8-ounce glass.

V8 is a convenient beverage that beats the sugary soft drinks on the market by far. But mass marketed, processed, vegetable juice has nowhere near the health punch that whole vegetables do. The sodium content should also be a concern.

An occasional V8 is fine for most people, but you should still focus on having a variety of whole vegetables in your diet.

A better bet would be to blend up some vegetables yourself at home. Or, even better, eat your vegetables and drink a glass of water instead.

The 8 Most Nutritious Nightshade Fruits and Vegetables

• Tomatoes
• Potatoes
• Bell peppers
• Hot peppers
• Eggplant
• Tomatillos
• Goji berries
• Blueberries

What are nightshade fruits and veggies?

Nightshade fruits and vegetables are a broad group of plants from the Solanaceae family. Nightshade plants contain poisonous alkaloids, one called solanine.

While ingesting nightshade plants can be fatal, fruits and vegetables in this same classification of plant — many of which you’ll find at your local grocery store — are actually safe to eat.

This is because the amount of this toxic compound is lowered to nontoxic levels once the fruits and vegetables ripen. Still, the leaves and berries of the deadly nightshade plant are toxic and shouldn’t be consumed.

Find out exactly which of the nightshades are the most nutritious.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are a staple of many diets for numerous reasons. In addition to how easy they are to grow, they’re also packed with nutrition. This fruit is high in vitamins A and C, and is also a good source of potassium, vitamin B-6, manganese, and dietary fiber.

ResearchTrusted Source suggests that tomatoes contain carotenoids, powerful antioxidants that may protect the body from certain conditions. Lycopene, a carotenoid found in abundance in tomatoes, is thought to protect against cancer, inflammation, diabetes, and oxidative damage.

Try this fresh-from-the-garden tomato soup to warm you up on a cold day.

Potatoes

Potatoes are one of the most abundantly grown foods used in the Western world. They’re also part of the perennial nightshade family that can be mildly poisonous under certain conditions.

Potato “eyes” or sprouts, as well as any green skin or flesh, are likely to contain a toxin called solanine. But solanine can also be found in parts of the potato that aren’t green.

Solanine may be found in potatoes that are:

• picked too early
• exposed to light
• stored someplace too cold, like the fridge

When eaten, solanine may cause:

• vomiting
• diarrhea
• abdominal pain

Solanine can be found in other foods too, like tomatoes and eggplants. Eating a very large amount of the toxin can cause more severe symptoms and even death, in very rare cases. But there’s no evidenceTrusted Source to suggest that eating smaller amounts leads to health problems over time.

Fortunately, peeling and cooking potatoes tends to reduce the amount of toxin in the food.

Potatoes are great sourcesTrusted Source of vitamin C, which helps aid immunity. They are also a rich source of potassium, vitamin B-6, and fiber, making them a more nutritious staple than you may realize. Moreover, they contain carotenoids, flavonoids, and caffeic acid, all forms of phytonutrients known to promote health benefits, according to the USDA.

Many of these nutrients are concentrated inTrusted Source the potato’s skin. So if you discard the skins, you may not be getting all of the benefits.

Beyond being nutritious, simple to prepare, and affordable, potatoes may have more surprising advantages. They are also a source of resistant starch, a substance that helps your body control blood sugar levels.

Keep in mind that potatoes contain more sodium or saturated fat when cooking with salts and oils, like french fries. One serving (170 grams) of restaurant-style french fries containsTrusted Source 23.8 total grams of fat — including 4.2 grams of saturated fat — and 26% of the DV for sodium.

Because nothing beats a homestyle staple, try this take on roast potatoes.

Bell peppers

If you need a boost of vitamin C, bell peppers are a great choice. One green pepper contains moreTrusted Source vitamin C than an orangeTrusted Source.

Bell peppers are one of the most versatile snacks in the nightshade family. You can slice them up and dip them in hummus, add them to a stir fry, or try making this bell pepper farro salad.

Hot peppers

Hot peppers may be nightshades, but like the sun they can bring some heat. And if your tongue can endure the burn, these fiery devils contain good nutrients.

Common hot peppers — like jalapenos, serrano peppers, and red or green chilies — are good sources of vitamin C and vitamin A.

Capsaicin, what helps give spicy peppers their kick, has been shown to decrease inflammation, which can help people with joint disorders walk with less pain.

If you want something sweet with your spice, try making these chili-chocolate dipped cherries.

Eggplant

Eggplant is a good sourceTrusted Source of manganese, a mineral that helps enzymesTrusted Source in your body carry out important functions. Additionally, according to researchersTrusted Source, eggplant peels contain a natural antioxidant called anthocyanin that can help protect your skin from the oxidative stress of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation.

Because of their meaty texture when cooked, they’re popular among vegetarians — think eggplant parmesan — as well as with vegans.

Whip together this curried okra and eggplant to try something with a bit of Mediterranean flair.

Tomatillos

The tomatilloTrusted Source is a nightshade that grows in a husk and is similar to a tomato. Common in Central and South America, it’s a staple of Mexican green sauces and can be boiled, fried, or steamed.

While not as nutritiously plentiful as your garden-variety red tomato, they contain small amounts of antioxidants and can help you sneak some extra fiber into your diet without adding in many extra calories. They are also a sourceTrusted Source of minerals such as iron, phosphorus, and copper.

Check out a healthy tomatillo salsa or better yet a roasted tomatillo chicken rice bowl packed with protein and fiber.

Goji berries

To find fresh goji berries, you’ll have to visit a Chinese farm. But they’re also typically found at specialty food stores in dried form, sometimes labeled as wolfberries.

Dried goji berries containTrusted Source protein and numerous amino acids such as tyramine. ResearchTrusted Source suggests they may support your immune system and the production of blood cells in your body. What’s more, they may protect against radiation, aging, cancer, and oxidation.

If you’re trying them for the first time, know that it’s possible to be allergic to them. You’ll want to stop eating them if you develop a rash or become ill.

To get more beneficial nightshades in your diet, try adding goji berries into this double berry cobbler.

Blueberries

Blueberries are not technically a nightshade plant. But, like nightshades, they contain some solanine.

Blueberries have been called a “superfood” because they contain antioxidant compounds.

According to researchers, evidence from recent studies show that blueberries contain flavonoids, specifically one called anthocyanin, that’s directly associated with cognitive benefits.

With that in mind, blueberries are thought to reduce risks for inflammatory diseases such as metabolic syndromeTrusted Source, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and cardiovascular disease.

A cup of blueberries is a good sourceTrusted Source of vitamin C, as well as supplying some dietary fiber.

For a healthy morning burst of blueberry bliss, try this blueberry and spinach smoothie.