I really like it - especially as a base for Bloody Mary's (!!) - but as a substitute for eating fresh veggies, maybe not so great. For one, it lacks much fiber, which is a primary benefit of eating whole fresh veg. And it tends to be pretty loaded with sodium per 8 oz. serving, even the low sodium versions.

But it is certainly better than nothing.

I'm not really a fan of V-8. It is fairly high in sodium, you lose the fiber benefit of vegetables in liquid form and, to top that off, it has a funky taste I find difficult to get past. I'd suggest broadening your sampling of vegetables to see if there are some you do like; often people who don't like a few of the common ones, decide they won't eat anything from the entire food group. But there is more variety available now through retail outlets than there were in years past.

Also try preparing the vegetables in different ways. You may not like one cooked, but think it is ok raw in a salad, for example. Sometimes they are more palatable as part of a spicy sausage lentil soup. Some fruits, and other foods, can help fill specific nutrition gaps--although not an ideal solution, certainly better than not getting the nutrients at all.

It's not a good substitution at all, but certainly better than having a soft drink. V8 has very little fiber, a fraction of the nutritional elements of fresh, whole vegetables, and a lot more sodium.

I don't know..but will say my teenage daughter loves it mixed half and half in tomato soup.

I agree it's not a good swap for fresh veggies, but I often have a glass of V8 with a cheese stick as a late afternoon snack--very satisfying and better than a lot of other snacks.

Could you puree fresh vegetables to add to soup? V-8 is a little bit of pureed vegetables added to salt water.

Yeah, it's better than soda, but for the price you can do better.

I used to, and I think many people who don't love vegetables, try to like them when cooked rather plain -- I would dutifully eat them, but never loved them.

Like gyr_falcon said, some are better raw, some I prefer roasted with olive oil and seasonings, or sprinkled with cheese after roasting. I often roast mine in the toaster oven --- quick and easy.

Buy a Nutribullet and make smoothies: fill your container with a handful of greens (spinach, kale, mixed power greens, not so much lettuce), a baby carrot or 2, a chunk of green or yellow summer squash, a bit of broccoli, some kind of fruit (put 3-4 different veggies, much more veggies than fruit) -- top with a combo of juice/milk or yoghurt to the fill max line. The fruit tends to sweeten and smooth out the veggies. I really like this. So glad I bought a (used) Nutribullet.

Also, get in the habit of throwing some vegetables in the pan whenever you cook your protein. I like them so much better when cooked or roasted with the meat or fish pan juices than steamed or boiled separately -- this is the only way you can get me to eat green beans, in fact. And you can then add the leftovers to your sandwiches, really tasty!

If you eat canned soup, add greens, carrots, peas, mushrooms etc to the soup and let it simmer an extra few minutes until they are tender.

The key is to have vegetables on hand in the freezer and fridge, and remind yourself to reach for them every time you prepare something to eat.

Due to dental issues, I cannot eat most raw vegetables. And being a single person, it is hard to cook just a single serving of vegetables. I also dislike most canned or frozen vegetables. V8 (with or without the vodka) or smoothies are my preferred ways of consumption aside from using them in soups or stews. But every now and again I will cook a vegetable only main meal - roasted assorted veggies are a favorite as is cauliflower. btw, cauliflower can be used in a wide variety of ways - saw a cauliflower pizza crust on a cooking program the other day - and much like tofu, can take on the flavor of whatever you cook it with.

I don't consider a glass of V-8 juice as being equivalent to a serving of vegetables, for a number of reasons.

I agree about canned veggies - they're hideous. Good quality plain frozen vegetable products (without butter or sauce of any kind) should be equivalent in taste and nutrition to the same thing in fresh form. Sometimes better because only the better quality harvest items get frozen. Try different preparation methods so that you find them more satisfactory. As a tip, many people overcook veggies and in doing so they lose a lot of nutrients, flavor and appeal.

Actually, an 8 ounce serving of V8 is considered to be the equivalent of two servings of vegetables and not just by Campbells but by nutritional sources as well. But they do caution about the sodium intake as well as the lack of variety in vegetable sources (there are fiber enhanced forms if that is a concern). Probably just fine as an occasional replacement for veggies in any other form but not exactly a day-by-day substitute.

1 serving 481 mg of sodium. There is, apparently, a low-sodium version with only 140 mg.

The American Heart Association recommends keeping sodium below 2,300 mg, but below 1,500 mg for people over 50 and for anyone with other risk factors.

I use a lot of V8. My main use is a large glass of it for swallowing my morning dose of meds, and another glass of it at night for more meds. To give it some zing. I add a dash of Louisiana hot sauce to an 8 0z serving. I also use it as a base for soups. I buy my V8 at Sam's Club. Its about $6 for two 64 oz jugs.

The carbohydrate count is 10 gm per 8 fluid oz.

Yes, there's a low sodium version, and V8 is vastly better than soda or a junky snack.

Water is even better!

I sometimes drink V-8 as part of a breakfast, but it's not as a regular veggie replacement.

Do you like eggs? I eat veggies in my scrambled omelets. Basically that is a variety of veggies sauted in a little bit of butter or olive oil and then cooked into the scrambled eggs. I love mine with a bit of cilantro cooked in and salsa on top.

If you like pasta, you can saute a variety of veggies like zucchini or yellow squash, carrots, broccoli, onions, asparagus, garlic, or beans and then put it in with the pasta and pasta sauce.

You can add a lot of veggies to Asian stir fries.

Think outside the box. Pumpkin pie is a vegetable:)

If you want to seriously up your vegetable intake, I would recommend getting a good juicer and making your own vegetable juices. No chewing needed, and you can choose what goes into your juice. I mound two large dinner plates with carrots, celery, romaine, spinach, kale, beet, ginger, and lemon, and this makes enough juice for two days. (I have a masticating juicer, not a centrifugal one, so I can refrigerate half the juice to eat the next day.)

During the garden season I add cucumbers, zucchini, and assorted other things. I recommend adding an apple when you're getting started with juicing. Since red + green = brown, and the same is true of orange + green, my juice is the color of swamp water. But I love it!

As for V-8, I used to like the taste of it. But it's mostly tomato juice and it's heated during processing. This kills enzymes and probably other good things.

If you like spicy, try the V8 original Bloody Mary mix. It is delicious even without vodka ;-)

I love V-8 juice (the original)!! Years ago, for three whole months, it was the ONLY thing I was able to eat/drink that didn't taste like something from the cats' litter box, due to terrible reaction to a prescrip med. V-8 tasted exactly as it always did, unlike nearly everything else. On the brighter side, during that horrible time, I managed to lose 25 pounds, which was terrific! =)

V8 is a reconstituted juice product; the healthful vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and enzymes have been processed out. There are some added vitamins, but you can get those from a vitamin pill.

Veggie juice, with much of the nutritional value, and other food requirements, processed out, and sodium processed in ... is rather expensive.

Then ... to buy the vitamin supplements ... more (often fairly substantial) expense.

How about just learning various ways (including juicing, if you wish) to process your veggies at home, to quite likely find them more varied in taste, enjoyable ... and less costly?

I'm not enthused about paying upwards of 2 bucks for about 3/4 pound of various frozen peas, carrots, beans, corn, etc., or some mixtures ... but I could earlier buy 2 kg. (4.4 lbs.) of store brand of various ones of them or mixes for $4.44, which was recently reduced to $3.99, and it has lasted for a while, so now appears to be regular price.

Unusual, and appreciated, to find price reductions. Several of the processors seem to have developed an addiction to shrinkage of package sizes, around here.

I don't find substantial difference in the frozen ones from the same items eaten fresh ... and, while they don't grow well in snow here, this time of year, stuff picked half green and shipped long distances lack a substantial amount of nutrients, flavor and attractiveness: Calif./Mexican tomatoes in Feb. here ... look much like tomatoes, but they taste somewhat like cardboard.

ole joyfuelled ... with assistance from ordinary veggies, fresh or frozen

Not all nutrients and minerals are heat sensitive. I agree with you in general , rhizo, but don't overstate the case. Nothing is deliberately processed out.

I love vegetable juice for breakfast with my meal. I also use it randomly for a pick me up or to take a pill so it's not on an empty stomach.

Because of the sodium content and because I've switched to mostly organic, I now buy RW Knudsen Organic Very Veggie Low sodium. I also like that it comes in glass, which prevents any tinny taste from tomato in cans. It takes a little getting used to because it's not salty like v8, but has a great fresh taste.

It's a little expensive, but my food co-op puts in on sale several times a year and I get an additional case discount, so I stock up.

Not a great substitute for the real thing.

If you do drink it, enjoy the low sodium version. Even better, the "hot", low sodium version.

Works great for cooking.