This Might Be the Easiest Morning Habit to Adopt, Ever

I’m always looking for ways to make my morning routine better (you know, more productive, easier—the usuals). Meditating? I’ve tried it. Choosing my outfit the night before? Yep, that too. But of all the tweaks I’ve tried to make, I think I might’ve found the easiest: Drinking V8 Original.

Yep, V8. The vegetable juice. Before this experiment, I had mostly equated V8 with my grandparents, who always had it in their refrigerator. But, you guys…they were on to something: It’s delightful.

Each morning, after my first glass of water but before my first cup of coffee, I sipped on an itty-bitty, 5.5-ounce can of V8 (I like it super cold, over ice). It’s delicious. It’s tomato-y and savory and refreshing. It also feels slightly like you’re drinking a super-healthy Bloody Mary on a Tuesday—fancy.

Nutrition-wise, it checks all the boxes: With only 30 calories and no added sugar, each 5.5-ounce can contains a full serving of vegetables, a good dose of vitamins A and C, and 11 milligrams of lycopene, which is a beneficial fat-soluble phytonutrient.

For me, the real value in adding V8 to my morning routine isn’t the serving of veggies or the lycopene (though those certainly don’t hurt). Drinking V8 first thing in the morning inspires me to make better choices throughout the day. I’m way less likely to reach for a doughnut for breakfast, for example, knowing that I started my day on such a positive note.