It may be low fat, but it is almost 10% sugar

Special K "low fat Granola"

My wife picked up a package of this cereal on sale at the grocery store. Special K has a reputation for being a healthy cereal and the "50% less fat" statement on the front of the box looks pretty persuasive.

But the side panel is where the truth really lies.

Special K "low fat Granola" Nutrition Facts

Special K "low fat Granola" Nutrition Facts (Detail)

A 1/2 cup (54 gram) serving of this cereal does have only 3 grams of fat, but it does have 10 grams of sugars.

If you look closely at the list of ingredients, and let's be frank, most people don't, you'll see that two of the first three ingredients are sugars, and four of the first nine ingredients are sugars. Given the current justifiable obsession about the amount of added sugar in our diet, and the fact that sugars are almost 20% of the weight of a serving of this cereal it is no wonder that Kellogg's is boasting about the low amount of fat. The firm sure as heck does not want you to start thinking about the amount of sugar you are consuming.

Oh, and by the way, "evaporated cane juice", number eighteen on the ingredient list is just another name for sugar.