Being a lover of healthy foods and wanting to get my vegetables and various nutrients if possible (but still eat or drink something tasty), every once in awhile I like to drink some V-8® juice. V-8® has been around all my life. I’ve always seen it as a wholesome drink, and something different from the sweet fruit juices or other drinks that could be had.
In recent years I’ve noticed that V-8® has branched out in its marketing. The new drinks may sound inviting, but are they? I’ve even wondered if the standard V-8® is still healthy – but so far it is. I just have to remember to keep reading the labels before I buy. Anyway, the ingredients in the new V-8® products may surprise you.
The standard V-8® drink includes vitamins A, C. and E which function as antioxidants. It also includes calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Sounds pretty healthy so far, doesn’t it? V-8® is also touted as “a delicious blend of 8 vegetable juices including tomato, carrot, celery, beetroot, parsley, lettuce, watercress and spinach” also advertises that it includes all this (plus other ingredients) “all with no artificial flavourings, colours or preservatives. Naturally low in fat.” — That is what the V-8® website in the U.K. says — and I believe it is still true for the original V-8® as sold in the U.S.
V-8® is a product of the Campbell Soup Company, and it recently has teamed up with Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. and Coca-Cola North America. This Coca Cola launch of V-8® and Campbell Soup products took place a few years ago (September 2007). Possibly this promotional agreement with Coca Cola is part of the reason for the changes in V-8®. I really don’t know. But what kind of union can there be with a healthy drink company and an unhealthy drink company (tell me something healthy about Coca Cola?).
Many of the newer V-8® products include fruit juices along with the vegetable juices. I’m O.K. with that. Some of the new V-8® products on the market include V-8® Tropical Blend Splash, Diet Splash, Splash Smoothies, Berry Blend Splash, V.Fusion, V.Fusion Light, etc.
Now comes the BIG PROBLEM I have with the new V-8® fruit drink products. The Diet V-8® Splash® advertises that it contains sucralose – also known as Splenda®, an artificial sweetener, supposedly made from sugar and supposedly tasting like sugar, etc. Sorry, but I don’t buy it. It is not made from actual sugar, and there are inherent dangers with this new artificial sweetener that has become popular. Besides, I thought V-8®, made with all those vegetable juices was already healthy — why would there need to be a diet (even if is fruity-tasting) version???
Anyway sucralose aka Splenda® is a poisonous chlorocarbon. There are quite a few websites devoted to the dangers of Splenda®. (And even, in the event that you think some of the sites that are anti-Splenda® are overstepping their bounds, why would you want to take a chance on something that is new and experimental like Splenda®, when there are so many questionable things about it? Why risk your health?)
Now, I find that not only are the diet and light versions of V-8® fruit drinks are using sucralose, but so are the other fruit drinks! Just read the ingredients on the label next time you go to the store. From a careful reading of the ingredients I see these V-8 products as still healthy and nutritious: standard V-8 juice, V-8 with essential antioxidants, V-8 spicy hot, V-8 calcium enriched (it includes sugar, but not artificial sweeteners), and V-Fusion.
Of the new fruit juice drinks, I found the following contain sucralose: Diet V-8 Splash, Strawberry Kiwi, Berry Blend, Strawberry Banana Smoothies, Tropical Colada Smoothies, and V-Fusion Light. Sorry, but I want no part of the new V-8 fruit juices that contains this dangerous ingredient of sucralose. See the following web links for further information on this topic
V-8® Home Page
http://www.v8juice.com/
V8 – Products (in the United Kingdom)
http://www.v8juice.co.uk/products.php
V8 Splash® Juice Drink and V8 Splash® Smoothies
http://www.v8juice.com/splash.aspx
Coke to distribute V8 products
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2007/06/04/daily23.html?from_rss=1
Splenda® and Sucralose Toxicity Information Center
http://www.holisticmed.com/Splenda/
Splenda® (Sucralose) Toxicity Exposed
http://www.Splendaexposed.com/Sugar substitutes and the potential danger of Splenda®
http://www.womentowomen.com/nutritionandweightloss/Splenda.asp
Sucralose – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sucralose
The Lethal Science of Splenda®, a Poisonous Chlorocarbon
http://www.wnho.net/Splenda_chlorocarbon.htm
SEE THE MAIN SITE OF BIBLETHUMPER01’S BLOG:
https://biblethumper01.wordpress.com
Biblethumper01's Blog 