Online weight-loss support Web site Diet.com is giving members a free service called Nutrition on the Go.

People trying to lose weight can type in a restaurant and menu item they want information on and send it to the short code DIET1 (34381). In a flash they receive a text with the information requested.

"We originally came up with this because people are looking for ways to eat healthy on-the-go, particularly when they are eating out and are not in front of their computer," said Meredith Oliver, director of marketing at Diet.com, Brooklyn, MA. "We are providing a service to them that is an extension of our online intitiatives."

The mobile service gives users access to more than 36,000 foods from 1700 restaurants in North America.

The service lets dieters make informed decisions fast without feeling guilty later for breaking the diet.

For example, a weight watcher interested in nutrition information can enter "Starbuck's hot chocolate" into the SMS message.

The reply message will detail all the nutrition information of the hot chocolate and recommends what kind of milk to use and no whipped cream.

In few cases, the text message also includes a "what not to do" guide.

The service also lets users track their meals. They can save meals on-th-go everytime they use Diet1, by replying SAVE to 34381, after receiving the food's nutrition information.

The meal will be saved and users receive a special password to connect their mobile phone to Diet.com.

Diet.com is an online resource for people watching their weight or trying to lead a healthy lifestyle. The online site at http://www.diet.com features diet recipes, advice from nutritionists, weight loss challenges, videos, tips, diet podcasts and reviews.

The Diet.com Nutritionon the Go service has an average of 18,000 unique users daily. It averages 180,000 texts a month. The majority of users are women.

"It's hard to target women via text and studies show males are more receptive to texts," Ms. Oliver said.

The Diet.com site subscribers are predominantly women and are 25-55 in age.

The average age of the Diet.com Nutrition on the Go user is 28.

"We plan to make the Nutrition on the GO service ad-supported," Ms. Oliver said.