A method for determining a cooling flow parameter of a cooling medium supplied through a gas turbine is disclosed. The method may generally include receiving a signal associated with a first value of a combustion product parameter at a location within a combustion zone of the gas turbine, receiving a signal associated with a second value of a combustion product parameter at a location downstream of the combustion zone, comparing the first and second values of the combustion product parameter and determining a cooling flow parameter of the cooling medium based on the comparison of the first and second values.