Q. I've heard the Mediterranean diet is trending lately. From a Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM) perspective, who would you recommend this diet to?

I once struggled with stomach upsets after blindly following a trending health diet myself. As a practitioner of Korean Medicine, I fully empathize with the trial and error my patients go through. The benefits of the Mediterranean diet are clear. The unsaturated fatty acids found in olive oil and fish help clear 'Eo-hyeol' (瘀血, blood stasis), which are residues in the blood. Fresh vegetables also help eliminate 'Dam-eum' (痰飮, phlegm-fluid retention), which are metabolic wastes, making the body feel much lighter. However, there is a caveat. The Mediterranean diet is fundamentally composed of 'cold-natured' foods. If someone with 'Bi-heo' (脾虛, Spleen deficiency)—meaning impaired digestive function—suddenly consumes large amounts of raw vegetables or cold fruits, they are likely to experience bloating and dizziness. Ultimately, a 'personalized diet' is far more important than a 'generally healthy diet.' What acts as the best tonic for one person may be the primary cause of indigestion for another. I suggest first evaluating your current digestive state and whether you have a heat-dominant or cold-dominant constitution. Once you establish this baseline, you can manage your health much more comfortably. If you find it difficult to determine this on your own, please visit the clinic so we can figure it out together.