Fast Food Fast Check

Bob Noble, CEO of The Food Channel®, periodically gives his perspective on current food news and events.

Ever catch yourself wondering just how much damage that Mocha Frappuccino is going to do in your diet? How about the Subway Buffalo Chicken Sub?

In today’s mobile world, you don’t have to go to the information; it comes to you. Diet.com is the latest text message service to help you get info wherever you happen to be—in this case, a fast food restaurant. It’s called “nutrition on the go” and it provides nutritional information for 36,000 menu items at more than 17,000 restaurants all over the country.

All you have to do is text DIET1 34381 with the name of the restaurant and the item you want to check. You get the info back almost immediately. What’s the big deal? Well, if you’re a text message devote and on a diet this couldn’t be better. Most places have the nutritional information but it’s not really out in the open and you have to ask for it. This way you can make your choices without letting people know you’re on a diet.

It’s also fun to go to the site and watch what people are looking up. Every time someone checks out an item it comes up live. It’s a real education just to go down the list and click on various menu items.

Diet.com won’t do much for you if you’re in diet denial, but if you want a trusty sidekick to help you fight the high calorie/ high fat enemy, this is it. Once you know the enchilada you’ve been craving carries an 800-calorie load, it’s hard to order it and enjoy it.

That’s it, from the edge of the food world,

Bob