Is V8 Keto?
The answer you don’t want to hear but is the real and honest one: it depends.
First and foremost, there are so many different V8 juices and drinks now that it depends on which one you are asking about. Below, I’ll divide them by type and give more detailed answers on each.
Furthermore, it depends on how strict you are with the ketogenic diet, what your goals are and what your specific net carb goal is each day.
But, realistically, if you are on keto then V8 is not the best choice for a drink.
Why? Because all though the grams of carbohydrates may be under your daily intake, it will also limit how many carbs you can consume throughout the rest of your day and meals. It will limit those carbs for just a small amount of fluid ounces.
People tend to think these juices are drinks are healthy because some do not have added sugar or artificial sweeteners, however, their sugar content is still pretty high especially for just 8 fluid ounces while on a low carb diet. If you notice, the ones with natural sugar also have a lot more sugar per small serving, making it harder to maintain ketosis.
With the original V juice, for example, there are 7 g net carbs in just a cup of juice. If you are following a net carb consumption of 25 grams, then that only leaves you with 178grams of net carbs for the rest of your day.
If you’d like more details on whether any specific v8 drinks are keto and their nutrition facts, keep reading below.
V8 Vegetable Juice
- V8 Original 100% Vegetable Juice, Vegetable Blend with Tomato Juice – 9 g total carbs, 7 g net carbs, 2g fiber, 2g protein, no added sugar, no artificial colors, gluten free.This is by far the most popular V8 juice and probably the one most are wondering about as an attempt to eat less veggies while on keto.
- V8 Blends Healthy Greens Juice – 15 g total carbs, no fiber, 1g protein, one serving has 1/2 cup of veggies and 1/4 cup of fruit, no preservatives added, gluten free and non-gmo
V8 Fruit Juice
These are the grams of carbs per 8oz serving of the most popular V8 fruit juices. None of these have fiber so this is also the net carbohydrates for each serving.
- V8 Splash Fruit Medley – 15g net carbs (has added sugar)
- V8 Splash Mango Peach – 11g net carbs
- (has added sugar)
- V8 Splash Berry Blend – 13g net carbs
- (has added sugar)
- V8 Blends 100% Juice Strawberry Banana – 24g net carbs (no added sugars or artificial sweeteners)
- V8 Splash Orange Pineapple – 13 g net carbs (added sugars)
V8 Energy Drinks
- V8 +Energy, Healthy Energy Drink, Natural Energy from Tea, Peach Mango, 8 Fl Oz Can – 12g carbs, no fiber, no protein but low sodium at just 40mg sodium.
- V8 +Energy, Healthy Energy Drink, Natural Energy from Tea, Orange Pineapple – 12g carbs, no fiber, no protein but low sodium at just 55mg sodium.
- V8 +ENERGY Black Cherry Energy Drink, Made with Real Vegetable and Fruit Juices, 8 FL OZ Can – 11g carbs, no fiber, no protein but low sodium at just 65mg sodium.
V8 Tomato Juice
- V8 Original 100% Vegetable Juice, Vegetable Blends with Tomato Juice – 9 g total carbs, 7 g net carbs, 2g fiber, 2g protein, no added sugar, no artificial colors, gluten free
Best Choice for Keto Drinks
If you need more than just water while on keto, i recommend going for drinks that are 0 carbs so you do not have to worry about wasting your carbs on drinks. These are the low carb keto drinks I recommend:
Sparkling Ice (Black Raspberry, Cherry Limeade, Orange Mango, Kiwi Strawberry) – Only 5 calories for a 17oz bottle and 0 sugar/ 0 carbs. They also contain vitamins and antioxidants, including Vitamin A and Vitamin D
Zevia All Natural Sodas – These are 0 calories, 0 sugars, 0 carbs and if you crave soda this can help curb that craving. Their sodas are made with carbonated water, natural flavoring and stevia. They also have all kinds of flavors from Ginger Ale to Root Beer, Orange, Strawberry, Cream Soda, etc.
Crystal Light Sugar Free Packets – They taste great, are sugar free and just 5 calories. They also have a ton of flavors like strawberry banana and fruit punch.
Propel Powder Packets with Electrolytes, Vitamins and No Sugar – I especially like to keep these on hand because of the electrolytes while having 0 carbs and 0 calories. They also contain vitamin B and antioxidant vitamins C and E. These are great if you exercise!
You can also always make your own lime juice or lemon juice at home with Monk sweetener and it tastes delicious and keeps you at 0 carbs.
Whatever you go with, these are all lower calorie options.
So, is V8 Keto?
So, is V8 Keto? For the most part, no.
There are much better options out there if you want to stay in ketosis and on track of your carb count- especially if you are doing keto for weight loss purposes. V8 is a good source of vitamin c, but there are lower carb options that still allow you to get plenty of vitamins.
As far as being a good source of protein, there isn’t enough protein in any v8 drink to justify the amount of carbs or calories. You’re better off drinking a 0 carb drink and then having a low carb meal with a much higher protein content.
There also isn’t much fiber in most V8 drinks, so the grams of net carbs are all pretty high for the amount you’re drinking.
Also, on keto you want to make room for high-quality fats, but by drinking your carbs you’re going to have less room to eat meals that have even a tiny bit more carbs but taste great and offer the healthy fats you’re looking for.
As mentioned above, if you landed here looking to make a cocktail recipe, here are 15 keto alcoholic drinks you can make. If you landed here looking for a way to drink veggies, you’re best option is this super greens powder supplement. It’s a great way to sneak veggies in through a quick veggie drink.
The super greens has more veggies, no artificial flavors, and tastes better than the original vegetable juice. It’s great for strict keto dieters that can’t manage to get all of their vegetable servings in on a day to day basis. That way your keto meals can have less veggies and more of the food product you enjoy.
** V8 is owned by the campbell soup company and the photos used in this blog post are from their sources.