The elderly have many tricks for porridge cooking, among which some are used to adding alkali to save time, and to make the porridge more viscous and with better taste, which is easier for old people to digest. But Dr. Chen Wei, associate chief physician of Department of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition of Peking Union Medical College Hospital reminded everyone that adding alkali in porridge would accelerate the destruction of vitamins in cereals, especially vitamin B1.