Wow, V8 is impressive!

[dancerjodi]

As part of our new 'eating healthier' thing, B and I are trying to stick to the food pyramid as a guide and eat small meals throughout the day: http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/food/food-pyramid/main.htm

I had a difficult time getting in all my veggies last week (besides eating some at dinner I wanted to have some kind of veggie snack in the afternoon). I don't really like munching on carrot sticks and having to bring a salad to work for a snack in the afternoon was a bit inconvenient, so I decided to go the V8 route.

The only time that my family ever bought V8 was at Thanksgiving. I'm not sure why - it doesn't make any sense, really - but having a glass of V8 along with your regular drink at dinner has been customary. As a kid I thought it was pretty gross but decided to try it again this year since my tastes have changed over the years and I was pleasantly surprised. It was really yummy and reminded me a bit of tomato soup (a nice comfort food in the winter perfectly accompanied by a grilled cheese sandwich).

So I picked up some cans of V8 at the supermarket yesterday to serve as my easy and yet healthy veggie afternoon snack. This little thing is amazing! Its only 5.5 ounces, 35 calories and includes the following:
-no fat
-little carbs
-4% of the daily value of fiber
-30% of the daily value of Vitamin A (and 80% of that from Beta Carotine)
-60% of the daily value of Vitamin C
-2% of the daily value of Calcium
-4% of the daily value of Iron
-Juice from not only tomatoes but also carrots, celery, beets, parsley, lettuce, watercress and spinach.

So I think that just totally made my health-conscious day :)

Do you have any healthy food secrets to share?

Comments

[xany.livejournal.com]

my health-conscious mother would buy V8 for herself all the time when I was growing up. In high school I used to come home from school, fill a huge glass (like one of those plastic "collectible" sports cups that hold 32oz) with V8, a couple of cloves of garlic, a generous pinch of chili powder, a dash or two of Worcestershire, 5-10 dashes of Tabasco, salt and pepper. I'd hit it with the hand mixer, and have a great afternoon drink! (now, I add vodka to the mix for a killer Bloody Mary.)

My mom got rather upset at first, as the V8 was supposed to be for her. Eventually she gave up, and started buying it in larger quantities.