Think Twice Before Drinking V8 Juice And Fruit Juice Together
Convenience makes the world go 'round. And when you're trying to get more vegetables into your diet, you might think grabbing a V8 is healthy for you. The ease and convenience of putting vegetables in a bottle make it easy to grab and go. With that said, Healthline warns that the removal of the pulp eliminates the good fiber, meaning juices aren't a good alternative to eating fruits and vegetables.
When you want to add a bit of sweetness to your V8, you can find fusion drinks, which mix fruits and vegetables to create a sweet drink. These drinks are available in various flavors. For example, you can find V8 strawberry banana fusion, which mixes vegetable juice with the juice of apples, white grapes, strawberries, and bananas. However, the Environmental Working Group stipulates that V8 fusion drinks contain additives and non-natural flavors, which also make them a poor substitute for adding veggies and fruits to your diet. These fusion drinks can also be high in fructose, leading to weight gain when consumed in excess, per Medical News Today. And as it turns out, drinks that are high in sugar, like fusion drinks, can also lead to loose stools. Here's why certain V8 juices might be giving you diarrhea, and how this effect could be even worse for those with digestive disorders.
Why does V8 fusion cause loose stool?
When you were young, you probably felt like you could eat or drink pretty much anything. But as you age, your stomach becomes more sensitive to certain kinds of foods and beverages. Take V8 fusion drinks, for instance; the fructose in the drinks could be leaving you with the runs.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, diarrhea is a common effect when you drink more than 40 to 80 grams of fructose (sugars that naturally occur in fruit juices); you may also experience this after consuming sugar substitutes. My Food Data notes that V8 V-Fusion Juices Tropical contains 25 grams of sugar in an 8-ounce serving, most of which comes from the fruit juices. Most bottles have at least 16 ounces; therefore, one bottle would contain a whopping 50 grams of sugar. Per Harvard, the reason you're running to the bathroom is due to the surge of electrolytes and water released from the intestines by the absorption of the sugars.
Diarrhea can be even worse for those with gastrointestinal issues like irritable bowel syndrome, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. When fruits high in fructose enter the gut, they can be treated like undigested lactose, which can cause gas, nausea, cramps, and bloating.
Healthy alternatives to fusion drinks
If you find that certain drinks are giving you the runs, it might be best to avoid them. However, there are a few drink alternatives you can reach for when you want a V8 fusion. For example, if you like the veggie goodness of V8, just stick to the regular stuff rather than going for the fusion drinks. If it's the fruity sweetness you're craving, add some fresh fruit to a bit of water or sparkling water for a dash of sweetness. It can double the tastiness when you crush the fruit, freeze it into cubes, and use the cubes to chill your water.
If you crave the fusion of fruit and veggies, try creating a smoothie. Smoothies blend whole fruits and veggies, so all the fiber stays locked into the sweet goodness. They can also help those who don't care for raw fruits and veggies meet their daily intake of the essential minerals and vitamins they offer, per Utah State University. While it's best to blend up your own heart-healthy smoothies to avoid additives like sugar, you can buy some decent ones on the go. You just need to look at the packaging and ingredients to ensure they're lower in sugar than those fusion drinks.