The WhatsApp Forward Diet - How Misinformation Shapes Our Kitchens

We humans have an innate tendency, what we like for ourselves, like to share for others. This goodness can sometimes mislead people if they are not fact-checked. Often people forward diet tips or miracle recipes as nutrition advice on WhatsApp groups unknowing that their forwarded message might be misinformation. These misinformations, somewhere silently shape how people make eating decisions, how to shop and how to cook. This article explores how WhatsApp forwards become facts and how misinformation shapes our kitchens.


Misinformation spread swiftly through WhatsApp messages because of a few key reasons.

• First, messages are easy to forward,
• Second, they are end to end encrypted,
• Third, because of personal trust,
• Fourth, localised content that is emotionally appealing,
• Fifth, anyone can create content - low barriers to content creation
• Sixth, because of cognitive biases where people tend to share content that confirms their existing beliefs or likes.

You might recall some of the famous common myths like during COVID time, "drinking hot water kills the COVID virus," "lemon water melts fat" or "avoiding rice helps reverse diabetes."

There are endless fascinating stories that occurred due to misinformation. For example, in 2020, during the pandemic, a WhatsApp forward went viral that garlic soup could prevent infection, and soon there was a shortage of garlic in some markets. Thanks to misinformation that boosts the profits of garlic sellers during pandemic times.

One should avoid being influenced by WhatsApp forwards. The Indian Dietetic Association cautions that social media diet is mostly misleading and even harmful.


As discussed above people have biases towards their personal emotional comfort, cultural familiarity, or for a traditional guy, a distrust towards modern medicine. People get used or fooled by the name of ancient wisdom or natural remedies which most of the time sound authentic. For example, you might know about the old trend of drinking haldi milk for almost every health issue, though it is partly beneficial but the online world exaggerates it further.


In the age of WhatsApp, our greatest wisdom should not be blindly following or proliferating - it should be critical thinking. When you are being bombarded by tons of information every second, people should pause for a moment to fact-check and then believe.

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Q1. Can misinformation effect be reversed?
Ans: No, some reduction of effect might take place

Q2. What is disinformation theory?
Ans: a simplified and generalised notion of communication that is intended to be, in some way, misleading or deceptive.

Q3. Is propaganda a form of manipulation?
Ans: Propaganda is understood as a form of manipulation of public opinion.