Q. Which Starbucks diet recipes would you recommend from a Traditional Korean Medicine perspective?

I have personally experienced nausea and dizziness in the past by blindly following trendy diet recipes. That experience taught me a valuable lesson: a recipe that works for others is not necessarily the right answer for your own body. Low-calorie recipes certainly have advantages; they reduce sugar intake to lower insulin stimulation and provide a psychological sense of achievement. However, there are clear drawbacks. Depending on one's constitution, artificial sweeteners can cause abdominal bloating, and consuming only cold beverages can actually slow down the body's overall metabolism. From the perspective of Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM), every individual's needs differ. For those with Spleen Deficiency (脾虛, bi-heo)—characterized by poor digestion and low energy—cold drinks or those containing artificial sweeteners may exacerbate bloating. For these individuals, I recommend warm tea varieties. Conversely, for those with an accumulation of Phlegm-Fluid (痰飮, dam-eum)—unnecessary fluids and metabolic waste that make the body feel heavy—options that support fluid metabolism, such as corn silk tea, are preferable. I also caution against extreme sugar restriction, as the resulting compensatory psychological urge can often lead to binge eating. Ultimately, the priority is to assess your current physiological state rather than searching for the 'best' recipe. If you would like to select a beverage that perfectly matches your constitution and current condition, please visit the clinic so we can determine the best option together.