Social Media Health Advice: What’s Legit and What’s Not

3 green flags that have helped me spot trustworthy health and wellness content

Jun 23, 2025

Having joined Instagram (IG) back in 2014, I’ve seen the platform's evolution from a place to share photos to a hub of health (mis)information. My journey with IG began during my Marine Corps days serving in Botswana, when I wanted to share my “health and wellness” journey beyond the status updates I shared on Bodybuilding.com.

So, I started following these “health and wellness influencers” who slowly became my primary source of health information. Whether it was a 4-week meal plan or a 12-week strength training plan, I assumed that because these health and wellness influencers “looked fit,” it meant that they were experts in the field - I was wrong.

I recall a particular instance when I was stationed in Botswana, where I began following a “meal plan” that provided a limited list of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats that I was “allowed” to eat. For those already seeing the problems in the last sentence, know that you’re much farther along than I was at the time. It honestly wasn’t until I started sharing the plan with one of the Marines that he asked a fairly simple question: “How many grams of each are you eating?”

As you can imagine, I had no idea how much protein, carbohydrates, or fats I was supposed to be eating on this alleged meal plan. I invested in a random meal plan created by an online health and wellness influencer. Like many people, I was swayed by the fact that he had a large social media following; so, if all these other 100,000 people followed him, he must know what he was talking about, right? WRONG! He didn’t, and thanks to my fellow Marines' prompting, I stopped following that ridiculous plan.

However, I’m not shaming myself or you for using social media as a source for health information.

According to a 2025 study by Carton-Erlandsson, Sanz-Guijo, and Quintana-Alonso in Public Health Nursing, the general population obtains health information from platforms such as WhatsApp, IG, Facebook, X, and TikTok. While that makes me cringe today, back in 2014, I considered social media an acceptable platform for health information. I wrongly assumed that if people are sharing health information online, then they must know what they’re talking about.

What I didn’t recognize at the time was that due to our “infodemic,” it’s not uncommon for people to struggle to distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources of digital health information. Before becoming a health coach, I struggled to identify trustworthy sources of digital health information. After becoming a health coach, I am committed to ensuring that my health recommendations are based on research, not "broscience."

Green Flag #1: They Cite Their Sources.

There’s a reason that I referenced the study from Public Health Nursing earlier. Although I can discuss this information based on my own lived experience (which is valid), it’s essential to consider what the research says. By citing my sources, I’m allowing you to access the study, as the conclusions I draw from the research may not be the same as the ones you draw from it.

Too often, I’ve had friends DM me a video they’ve found on IG or TikTok that makes some health and wellness claim they want me to either confirm or refute. To my friends' annoyance, my answer is often, What does the research say? If the content creator cannot give you an actual study to back up their claims, I’d say a healthy amount of skepticism is necessary. It’s not that what they’re saying isn’t true “for them,” but that doesn’t make their claim accurate for everyone.

Green Flag #2: They’d Share Even If They Weren’t Getting Paid.

As a fellow content creator, I take no issue with anyone getting paid for their work, because these school loans aren’t going to pay themselves off. However, there is a significant difference between someone promoting a product or service they genuinely love, versus one they’d never promote unless they were being paid to do so. Even though the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has made significant strides to ensure health and wellness influencers are being transparent about how they’ve been compensated for the products and services they endorse, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t proceed with caution as a consumer.

Having had the opportunity to work behind the scenes of a multi-six-figure online business, I learned that not all health and wellness influencers are transparent about how they’re getting paid. Even some of the ‘results’ you see aren’t solely from the products and services that they claim they couldn’t live without. Suppose you’re investing hundreds or even thousands of dollars based on the recommendations of health and wellness influencers. In that case, you should know the truth about what’s motivating them so much to promote that product or service. Has that product changed their lives, or is it the commission they’ve received from promoting that product that is the real reason beyond their supposed transformation?

Green Flag #3: They Promote Health Literacy.

Many people use social media to stay informed, which presents an excellent opportunity for health and wellness influencers to utilize it as an educational platform. As much as I love scrolling PubMed, the general population would rather watch a TikTok video than read a peer-reviewed study. However, the health and wellness influencer who can condense peer-reviewed research into a digestible, short-form video or engaging carousel is winning in the digital era.

For those who aren’t a fan of social media, I understand, as I have a complicated relationship with it myself. The harsh reality I learned while working within a marketing and communications team at an international healthcare organization during the pandemic is that a significant amount of health misinformation is available on the internet. Our best defense is combating that health misinformation with truth in a form that people want to consume. The health misinformation isn’t going to go away overnight, but we can certainly crowd it out with some health truths.

It’s understandable to feel frustrated and confused by conflicting health advice; however, there are proactive steps we can take to seek reliable health information. I hope I’ve provided you with a few green flags to look for and hinted at a few red flags to avoid.

Speaking of, are there a few red flags you think we should all be aware of? Let us know in the comments.