V8 Juices and Renal Diet

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• Manufacturer Information
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AS WE ALL KNOW, the renal diet offers a multitude of challenges for our patients. Multiple diagnoses that include chronic diseases such as diabetes can quickly diminish the dialysis patient's already limited list of “good” food choices. The enigma of the renal diet, from the patient's perspective, is only further exacerbated by food manufacturers' use of potassium and phosphate additives in an effort to preserve and enhance their products. Even for professionals, keeping abreast of the potassium and phosphorus content of foods and beverages can be challenging, particularly when these two nutrients are rarely listed on nutrition labels.

Recently, V8 juice has received a bit of attention from my patients in the clinic, prompting this review in light of V8's potassium and sodium content. Phosphorus content is not available on the manufacturer's website at present. The Campbell Soup Company produces three types of V8 juice: V8, Fusion, and Splash. Each line of products is available in a variety of flavors, totaling over 20 separate items, and is advertised as beneficial in terms of vegetable and fruit intake in the diet. This health claim could easily create conflict for our patients as they try to evaluate whether these juices would make an appropriate addition to their diet.

A review of these products' nutritional content revealed a broad disparity in potassium and sodium content. Some of them could easily be worked into a renal diet, allowing for a greater variety of beverage choices for our patients, and possibly improving patients' satisfaction with their diet. In contrast, several products should never be consumed by our patient population. When educating patients about incorporating V8 beverages into their diet, one should be assiduous in differentiating among these products.

Below is a list of V8 products and their nutritional content (Table 1). It bears mention that the volume of each product varies from smaller containers of 5.5 ounces to multiuse containers of 64 ounces. I have listed the nutritional content in 8-ounce portion sizes of each beverage for the sake of consistency and, hopefully, ease of product comparison for our patients.

Table 1. Nutritional Content of V8, Fusion and Splash Juices

Juice 8 ounces	Calories	Protein (g)	Potassium (mg)	Sodium (mg)	Carbohydrate (g)	Sugars (g)	Fiber (g)	Vitamin A	Vitamin C	Vitamin E	Calcium	Container Sizes Available
								%DV	%DV	%DV	%DV
V8 Juices
100% Vegetable Juice	50	2	470	420	10	8	2	40	120	n/a	4	5.5oz, 11.5oz, 16oz cans, 12oz, 32oz, 46oz, 64oz bottles
Spicy Hot	50	2	650	480	10	8	2	25	120	n/a	4	5.5oz, 11.5oz cans and 12oz, 46oz bottles
High Fiber	70	2	480	470	13	8	5	30	120	n/a	4	46oz bottles
Low Sodium	50	2	820	140	10	8	2	40	120	n/a	2	5.5 oz cans and 12oz, 46oz, 64oz bottles
Calcuim Enriched												46oz bottles
Essential Antioxidants	50	2	430	480	11	6	2	100	200	100	4	5.5oz, 46oz cans, 46oz bottles
Fusion Juices
Cranberry Blackberry	110	0	240	70	27	26	0	15	100	10	2	12oz, 46oz bottles
Strawberry Banana	110	0	240	70	27	26	0	15	100	10	2	6pack of 8oz cans, 12oz, 46oz bottles
Pomegranate Blueberry	100	0	280	60	25	23	0	15	100	10	2	6pack of 8oz cans, 12oz, 46oz bottles
Acai Mixed Berry	110	0	240	70	27	26	0	15	100	10	2	12oz, 46oz bottles
Passion Fruit Tangerine	110	0	600	70	27	24	0	50	100	10	2	46oz bottles
Goji Raspberry	110	0	500	70	27	24	0	15	100	10	2	46oz bottles
Peach Mango	120	1	210	70	28	26	0	20	100	10	2	12oz, 46oz bottles
Tropical Orange	110	0	600	70	27	24	0	50	100	10	2	46oz bottles
Pomegranate Blueberry Light	50	0	150	60	13	10	0	10	100	10	2	46oz bottles
Strawberry Banana Light	50	0	140	40	12	12	0	35	100	10	2	46oz bottles
Acai Mixed Berry Light	50	0	100	35	13	10	0	15	100	10	2	46oz bottles
Peach Mango Light	50	0	140	40	12	12	0	35	100	10	2	46oz bottles
Splash
Berry Blend	70	0	35	50	18	18	0	100	100	20	n/a	16oz, 64oz bottles
Fruit Medley	70	0	35	50	18	18	0	100	130	20	n/a	16oz, 64oz bottles
Mango Peach	80	0	30	40	20	20	0	100	100	20	n/a	16oz, 64oz bottles
Strawberry Kiwi	70	0	35	50	18	18	0	100	100	20	n/a	16oz, 64oz bottles
Tropical Blend	50	2	680	480	11	8	2	40	120	n/a	30	16oz, 64oz bottles
Diet Berry Blend	10	3	80	35	3	1	0	100	100	20	n/a	16oz, 64oz bottles
Diet Tropical Blend	10	0	80	35	3	1	0	100	100	20	n/a	64oz bottles
Strawberry Banana Smoothie	90	3	60	70	20	18	0	20	100	n/a	10	46oz bottles
Tropical Colada	90	3	60	70	20	18	0	20	100	n/a	10

^∗all listed juice products contains 0g fat, saturated fat, trans fat.

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Manufacturer Information 

Campbell Soup Company

1 Campbell Place

Camden, NJ 08103-1701

Manufacturer websites:

www.campbellsoupcompany.com

www.v8juice.com

Manufacturer's toll-free number:

1-800-257-8443, Monday through Friday, 9 am to 7 pm Eastern Standard Time.