Turns out, you really could've had a V8 and had it count toward the recommended daily requirement for vegetable intake, according to a new study. Researchers from the nutrition department at the University of California, Davis, funded by Campbell Soup (manufacturers of V8 juice), found that up to 100 percent of subjects who drank vegetable juice every day met the recommendations for consumption of vegetables outlined by the U.S. Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension.

While the "Five a Day" message is well known, according to the researchers, 90 percent of adult Americans fall short of the daily recommended vegetable intake. The study found that drinking your vegetables may help overcome some of the reasons people don't eat enough of them: convenience, portability and taste. Researchers found that participants "actually enjoyed drinking their vegetables, which is critical to adopting dietary practices for the long term."

Natural Foods Merchandiser volume XXIX/number 12/p. 6