Dubai: While some chose Facebook, the majority picked Instagram as their preferred medium for getting recipes online. This came to light at a session titled Using Social Media as a Platform to Promote Better Eating Habits, on the second and concluding day of the first Arab Social Media Influencers Summit in Dubai.

The two-day event, being held at the Dubai World Trade Centre, highlights the role of social media in today’s world.

The Food Forum, part of the Better Eating Habits session, was moderated by MBC presenter Howaydah Abou-Heif who discussed the positive uses of social media when trying to promote better eating habits among people in today’s fast-paced life.

Food is one of the most dynamic topics of discussions on social media and Osama Al Sayed, television chef, host and culinary consultant, told Gulf News that he harnesses its power to make people aware of the importance of good eating habits. He has even used socal media to reach out to newly married women whose experience in the kitchen is wanting and empowered them to learn cooking.

“I created a show called Kitchen 101 that has my young daughter participating in it and, in the show, I teach young women the basics of grocery shopping, the skills required to pick up the right ingredients and how to use them in the kitchen in different ways,” said Al Sayed. “I provide updates of this show on Facebook and YouTube under the same title to reach more women.”

His endeavours, Al Sayed believes, could help the younger generations develop more nutitional eating habits as well as help them learn the facts about healthy ingredients. This, he said, will hopefully make them take to the art of cooking and share a great relationship with food.

On the topic of cooking shows, Deema Hajjawi, Arab chef and author, added that it is essential for chefs on television shows to ensure that what they teach about the art of cooking and the way they teach it, is understood by all people, even novices. Attention to detail is another quality she said she wished chefs would bring to the television shows. “It’s worrying when I watch a chef use the same cutting board for poultry and vegetables,” she said. “Chefs must pay attention to these details, since many viewers do not know the consequences of this kind of approach.”

Hajjawi and Al Sayed, however, were in agreement with the power of social media to reach out to the masses and raise awareness about the art and role of food in one’s life. For people who were new to the world of cooking, social media, they said, offered easy and friendly access to food, recipes and cooking.

Maria Botros is a trainee at Gulf News