Another way to get fruits and veggies to kids...V8?

I keep seeing V8 commericals and it's got me thinking about trying it for the boys. I've never personally cared for it much, but I'm sure it's good for ya'. Has anyone had any luck getting your kids to drink V8, V8 Splash, or the V8 smoothie?? Ian and Grayson are, like others out there, getting picky when it comes to veggies. Just looking for an alternative...please share your experiences or thoughts on this. Hmmm, I guess it could be too acidic...didn't think about that. I was just thinking of one serving a day, not anything excessive...
TIA

faith

 

My boys are 22 months and like the V-8 Frusion (1 serving of veggies and 1 of fruit in each 8 oz). We've only tried the strawberry/banana flavor. I give it to them when I can't get other veggies/fruits in them for a day or two.

The other thing that is weird, is my kids won't eat a lof of stuff in their high chairs or at the kitchen table, but will eat most everything if I feed it to them in the family room. Weirdest thing that I just discovered last week.

 

I think there's a lot of salt content in V8, so you may want to check what your pedi says. I'd be curious to know what others have to say though

 

My pedi suggested V8 fusion when I told him they still were not eating vegetables. They stopped around 18 months and really the only veggies I can get them to eat are peas and carrots... and even that is still hit-or-miss. They eat plenty of fruit, so my pedi said it isn't a big problem but he gives his kids V8 fusion (his kids are close in age to mine). I dilute it the way I would any other juice... 1/4 sippy of juice + the rest water. I might do that twice a day, so they aren't getting a lot (and not too much sodium), but it's better than nothing. I don't give it every day, just when I think they haven't had any veggies in a few days.

 

My dd will eat veggies but my ds will not touch it at all no matter how I try to diguise it. We give both of the kids the V8 Fusion and they like all the flavors. We limit it to 6 ounces a day. I think the sodium levels aren't too bad on the V8 fusion but it's been awhile since I've looked.

 

I've had luck hiding veggies in pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce and taco meat. I use a food processor to mince cauliflower and mushrooms. The kids never even know the veggies are there because the pieces are itty-bitty and cook into the food. I also started roasting fresh veggies, like broccoli, cauliflower, turnip, carrots and bell peppers. Toss with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and bake in the oven. They taste much better than steamed or boiled and my boys will eat them (Aaron is hit & miss, but Jacob gobbles them up and asks for more). If I steam the veggies, the boys won't touch them.

Never tried V8, but we don't do juice much.

 

You can buy reduced sodium V8. Not sure about the fusion drinks though...

 

V8 fusion is counted as 2 veggies and 1 fruit by LA weight loss. They offer both regular and diet/lite fusion. My girls drink fusion(we actually prefer this to juice because it doesn't upset their stomachs or cause diaper rash). They also like regular V8 too. Be careful because both do stain.

 

This is a little off the V8 topic but if you are concerned about fruit and veggie intake I have something for you to consider. Its called Juice Plus and it comes in gummies for children, it has a full daily supply of fruits and veggies. If children are taking these there is no need for any other multivitamin. I'm starting my girls on it tomorrow, I'll be cutting it up in small pieces so they don't choke. I personally tasted these gummies and they are good, tastes like a fruit snack. Dr Williams Sears promotes this product, and if you are interested in it I'll post a link to the website.

Juice Plus

 

Thank you all for the posts...very helpful! Interesting about the Juice Plus...I think I'll look into that if they start rejecting veggies all together.

thanks again.

 

Something to keep in mind. The V8 fusion has a lot of sugar in it. I think the first or second ingredient is high fructose corn syrup. The diet version contains aspartame or one of those artificial sweeteners.

Juicy Juice has a new line called harvest smoothies with sweet potatoe puree in it. And all natural sugars only in it. My kids loved that one!!

 

Have you tried to make smoothies for your kiddoes? I take aging bananas, peel them, and them put them in the freezer in ziploc baggies for later use in either banana bread or smoothies. They make a great base for smoothies, and provide all the sweetness needed. I then add any other fruit (or veggie) I have on hand. I've added pineapple, peaches, cherries etc. If my Katy were not allergic to berries, I'd add blueberries (which are considered a "power food" because they are so good for you!) and/or strawberries. You can also add spinach (won't really alter the flavor) to get some extra veggies in. I usually add a tablespoon of wheat germ or ground flax seed as well. As I said, no sweetener necessary because the extra ripe bananas have plenty of sweetness.

 

I like the puree idea.. just might try that one first before giving them the V8 fusion. Mine the last few days or week have become picky about everything. First for us they have never been picky about food. The juice idea sounds pretty good though.