Editorial Policy

Keto Living Guide exists to help people understand the ketogenic diet and low-carb nutrition through rigorous, evidence-based content. We publish guides on macro calculation, meal planning, nutritional science, and dietary adaptation—topics that directly affect how people eat and, by extension, their health. Because our content falls into the YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) category, we hold ourselves to exacting standards for accuracy, source quality, and transparency. A misrepresented study, an overstated health claim, or outdated nutritional guidance could lead readers to make decisions that affect their wellbeing. That responsibility shapes everything we do.

Our Editorial Team

Natalie Rowe is the Nutrition & Keto Research Editor for Keto Living Guide and serves as the final authority on all content published here. Natalie is a registered dietitian (RD) with a master’s degree in nutrition science and over six years of focused research in ketogenic and low-carb dietary approaches. She spent four years in clinical nutrition at a teaching hospital, where she worked with patients managing type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome through dietary intervention—work that first drew her to the evidence base behind ketogenic protocols. For the past three years, she has conducted independent research in this space, publishing peer-reviewed articles on ketone metabolism and macronutrient composition in low-carb diets, and maintaining active memberships in both the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the International Society of Ketogenic Diet Researchers.

What matters for readers: Natalie’s background means she reads primary research fluently. She understands the difference between mechanistic studies (how the body responds to ketones) and long-term efficacy trials (whether people actually stay on the diet and see sustained results). She knows where the evidence is strong—like the metabolic effects of carbohydrate restriction—and where it remains preliminary, like optimal ketone targets for specific neurological conditions. She also understands the limitations of nutritional science: that human dietary studies are difficult to conduct, that much research is funded by organizations with vested interests, and that consensus can shift. Every claim published on this site passes through her review, and she’s willing to say “the evidence doesn’t yet support this” just as readily as she explains what the current research shows.

How We Research

Our research process begins with identifying the authoritative sources that define nutritional science and dietary guidance in the United States and internationally. For foundational nutrient data and intake recommendations, we consult the USDA Dietary Guidelines, the National Institutes of Health (particularly the Office of Dietary Supplements), and the Dietary Reference Intakes published by the National Academies. For research on ketogenic and low-carb diets specifically, we search PubMed and NCBI databases, focusing on peer-reviewed journals like Nutrients, the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Metabolism, and specialized publications in diabetes and endocrinology. We also reference clinical guidelines from professional organizations like the American Diabetes Association, the Endocrine Society, and the American Heart Association—understanding that these organizations synthesize evidence and often disagree, which tells us something important about where the science remains unsettled.

When we’re developing content on a specific topic—say, how to calculate macros for ketogenic adaptation—we don’t start with Google. We start with a PubMed search using specific terms, we read the abstracts, we obtain the full text of promising studies, and we read them ourselves rather than relying on summaries or blog posts about those studies. This matters because secondary sources get details wrong, overstate findings, or cherry-pick results that support a particular viewpoint. We’ve found nutrition journalism that misreported study conclusions, misidentified study populations, or applied findings from a study in healthy young adults to recommendations for elderly people with multiple conditions. We avoid that by checking the original work.

For claims about specific foods—like whether MCT oil provides unique cognitive benefits beyond other fats, or whether net carbs versus total carbs matter for ketosis—we examine the actual evidence: How many studies support this? What do they measure? Who funded them? Were they conducted in humans or cells? How large was the effect? Is there contradictory evidence? We then synthesize this into honest language: “Research suggests,” “One study found,” “The evidence is mixed,” or “No published evidence currently supports this claim.” Readers deserve to know the strength of the evidence behind what we recommend, and we tell them.

Source Standards

We rely on a tiered system of source authority, with peer-reviewed primary research at the top, followed by systematic reviews and meta-analyses, then clinical guidelines from established professional organizations, then educational resources from government agencies and academic medical centers. We reject or heavily scrutinize the following: individual blog posts or news articles (no matter how well-written), promotional content from supplement manufacturers or food companies, unregistered or unverifiable social media claims, studies that haven’t been published in peer-reviewed journals, and research funded by organizations with direct financial interest in the outcome if that funding relationship isn’t clearly disclosed.

Authoritative sources we use:

  • PubMed Central and NCBI: Primary peer-reviewed research across nutrition, metabolism, diabetes, and neurology
  • USDA MyFitnessPal Database and USDA FoodData Central: Nutrient composition and macro calculations
  • National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements: Safety, efficacy, and composition of micronutrients and botanical supplements
  • The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews: Synthesized evidence on dietary interventions
  • Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Professional guidelines and consensus statements from registered dietitian nutritionists
  • Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: Educational content and nutrition research summaries
  • Mayo Clinic Nutrition & Healthy Eating: Clinical guidance on diet-related health management
  • American Diabetes Association Standards of Care: Guidance on dietary management of diabetes
  • Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guidelines: Evidence-based recommendations on metabolic and endocrine conditions

What we don’t use:

We do not cite press releases issued by supplement companies, even if they reference a study, because press releases select favorable details. We do not use sponsored research without clear disclosure of that sponsorship—if a study was funded by a dairy company or an oil manufacturer, readers need to know that. We do not cite Instagram posts, TikTok videos, or unattributed claims, no matter how many followers the source has. We do not report on studies that haven’t been published in a peer-reviewed journal; preprints can be cited as preliminary findings, but we make that clear. We do not accept paid placements or sponsored content, so you will never see a “recommended product” that we were paid to promote.

Accuracy and Fact-Checking

Every numerical claim in a Keto Living Guide article—whether it’s a macronutrient ratio, a serving size, a percentage of people who experienced a result, or a dosage—is checked against its original source before publication. If an article states “a 2023 study found that 68% of participants reduced their fasting glucose by 20 mg/dL,” we obtain and read that study to confirm the finding, the year, and the statistic. We don’t cite secondhand reports of studies; we cite the actual study. This is more time-consuming, but it’s the only way to prevent the compounding of errors that happens when one blog cites another blog that misread the original research.

When sources conflict—and they often do in nutrition science—we don’t hide that conflict. We explain what different studies show, why they might differ (different populations, different study duration, different intervention protocols), and what the current consensus is, if one exists. Sometimes we conclude that the evidence is genuinely mixed and that readers should know reasonable people disagree. That’s more honest than picking one study and presenting it as settled fact. We also distinguish between biological plausibility, animal research, small human studies, and large long-term human trials. A lab study showing that ketones affect tumor cell growth is interesting; it doesn’t mean ketogenic diets are a cancer treatment. We explain that distinction.

Keeping Content Current

Each article published on Keto Living Guide displays a “last reviewed” date. We conduct a comprehensive annual review of all published content to ensure that nutritional guidance, food composition data, and research citations remain accurate and current. If a major government body publishes new dietary guidance, if the American Diabetes Association updates its standards of care, or if a significant meta-analysis shifts the evidence base on a topic we’ve covered, we update the relevant article within 30 days and note the update in the article itself.

This matters in the ketogenic nutrition space because the research is evolving, and sometimes older beliefs turn out to be incomplete. For example, understanding of the role of dietary fat in cholesterol levels has shifted over the past decade. New long-term studies on ketogenic diets in specific populations (like people with type 2 diabetes or epilepsy) are published regularly, and our articles should reflect current knowledge, not five-year-old consensus. Readers relying on this content to make health decisions deserve information that reflects what we know today, not what we believed last year.

Corrections Policy

If you find an error—whether it’s a factual mistake, a misreported statistic, an incorrect citation, or an outdated recommendation—please report it using our contact form at ketolivingguide.com/contact. Include the article title, the specific claim you believe is inaccurate, and the source or reason you believe it’s wrong. Our editorial team investigates all reported errors within 48 hours. If we confirm a factual error, we correct it within 7 days. Significant factual corrections—those that change the meaning or recommendation in an article—are noted with a correction statement at the top of the article, explaining what was changed and when. Minor corrections (a typo, a formatting error, a clarification of phrasing) are corrected without a separate notation. We view corrections as a normal part of maintaining accurate content, not as failures to be hidden.

Editorial Independence

Keto Living Guide generates revenue through two sources: Amazon affiliate links and display advertising. Readers should understand what this means and what it doesn’t. We are not paid by any food company, supplement manufacturer, or diet program to promote their products. Our recommendations are based on nutritional science and merit, not on which products earn affiliate commissions. If we recommend a product—like a macro tracking app or a kitchen scale—it’s because it’s useful for the content, not because it pays us. If affiliate commissions were our primary motivation, our content would look very different: every article would end with product recommendations, we’d feature more “best keto products” guides than nutritional science content, and our recommendations would skew toward high-commission items.

Display advertising is similarly hands-off: advertisers don’t influence editorial decisions, they don’t have input on article content, and they have no say in what we publish or recommend. If an advertisement appears on a page about the risks of certain supplements, that advertiser had no editorial input. We also do not publish sponsored content, guest posts written by companies, or reviews that were paid for by manufacturers. Any partnership or sponsored relationship would be disclosed clearly to readers.

A Note on Professional Advice

The information on Keto Living Guide is for educational purposes and should not be treated as medical advice, a diagnosis, or a personalized dietary recommendation for your individual situation. Everyone’s metabolism, health history, medications, and nutritional needs are different. Before making significant dietary changes—especially if you have diabetes, take medications, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have a diagnosed health condition—consult a qualified healthcare provider, such as a registered dietitian, physician, or certified nutrition specialist. If you cannot afford professional consultation, start by asking your primary care doctor for a referral, as many insurance plans cover medical nutrition therapy with a dietitian.

What We Don’t Do

  • We don’t diagnose medical conditions or symptoms. If content explores how ketogenic diets relate to type 2 diabetes, we explain the research; we don’t diagnose diabetes or recommend diet as a replacement for medical testing and treatment.
  • We don’t recommend specific treatments or interventions for specific individuals. We explain what research shows about ketogenic diets for various health conditions; we don’t tell you what you should do for your condition.
  • We don’t sell products or services. We earn affiliate commissions on some links, but we don’t sell diet plans, supplements, meal kits, or coaching services. We have no financial incentive to persuade you to buy anything specific.
  • We don’t accept paid endorsements or sponsored content. If a company pays us to promote a product or a diet program, that won’t happen, and it would be disclosed if it somehow did.
  • We don’t claim expertise in medical specialties outside of nutrition. We don’t provide mental health advice, neurological guidance, or specialist medical recommendations. We summarize what research shows; we refer you to qualified professionals for application to your specific situation.
  • We don’t present preliminary or speculative research as established fact. If a small study shows an interesting finding about ketones and brain health, we report it as preliminary research, not as a reason to adopt the diet for neurological protection.

Last reviewed: January 2026. This page is updated whenever our editorial practices change.