Special K's chocolate cereal is a spin-off of the original rice-based Special K, containing the same 11 essential nutrients but tailored for those with a hankering for the sweet dark stuff. Special K Chocolatey Delight isn't simply a tasty indulgence; most breakfast cereals are fortified with vitamins and minerals that give you a substantial portion of what you need to consume per day, according to the Breakfast Cereal Information Service.
Special K Chocolately Delight Basics
A serving size of Special K Chocolately Delight is 3/4 cup, according to the product's nutrition facts label. A serving without milk contains 120 calories, 20 of which come from fat. Based on a 2,000-calorie diet, the total fat content per serving is 2 grams, or 3 percent of your daily value, or DV; all the fat is saturated fat. The total carbohydrate content in one serving is 25 grams, or 8 percent of your DV. Three grams of the carbohydrates come from dietary fiber, 9 grams come from sugar, and 13 grams come from other carbohydrates. You also get 180 mg of sodium per serving, or 8 percent of your DV. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, underscores the importance of label reading to determine serving size.
Nutrients Per Serving
A single serving of Special K Chocolatey Delight has several vital vitamins and minerals. You get 2 percent of your potassium DV, 10 percent of your DV of Vitamin D, 15 percent of your DV of Vitamin A, 45 percent of your DV of iron and 35 percent of your DV of Vitamin C, Vitamins B6 and B12, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and folic acid.
Just Add Milk
Adding a half-cup of fat-free milk to your Special K Chocolate Delight increases its total calorie content to 160 per serving. Milk also adds 6 grams of total carbohydrates, all of which are derived from sugars; 4 grams of protein; and 65 mg of sodium. The cereal itself contains no calcium, but the milk gives you 15 percent of your DV for this mineral.
Special K Ingredients
In addition to the nutrients added to Special K Chocolatey Delight, the ingredients in this cereal include rice, whole-grain wheat, sugar, partially hydrogenated chocolate chunks, wheat bran, high-fructose corn syrup, salt, soluble wheat fiber and various flavorings. According to the product manufacturer's website, allergens to be aware of in Special K Chocolatey Delight include wheat, soy and milk.
The Food Pyramid
Special K Chocolatey Delight cereal falls within the grain group in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Pyramid. This group includes not only breakfast cereal, but whole and refined grains such as brown and white rice, whole-wheat and white bread and crackers, cornbread, noodles and pasta, and snacks like popcorn and pretzels. According to the USDA, the recommended amount of grain foods can range from 3- to 8-ounce equivalents, depending on your age, gender and how much exercise you get.
Nutrition Facts Label Tips
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, stresses the importance of making sure your food choices are high in dietary fiber, vitamins A and C, calcium and iron, because most Americans don't eat enough of these nutrients. Limit the amount of total fat, cholesterol and sodium in your food. The FDA offers a way to quickly assess if your breakfast cereal is high or low in certain nutrients: A Daily Value of 5 percent or less is low, and a DV of 20 percent or more is high.
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