There are many tricks to making congee for the elderly, and one common practice is to add alkali, which saves time, makes the congee sticky and smooth, and improves its texture, making it easier for the elderly to digest. However, Chen Wei, Associate Chief Physician of the Department of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, reminds everyone that adding alkali when cooking congee will accelerate the destruction of vitamins in the grains, especially the severe destruction of Vitamin B1. For the elderly, drinking such congee means it has no nutritional value.
Vitamin B1 is known as the "spiritual vitamin" because it has a beneficial effect on nerve tissue and mental state. Like all B vitamins, excess B1 is not stored in the body but is completely excreted. Therefore, it must be supplemented daily. A deficiency of Vitamin B1 not only makes a person prone to beriberi and constipation, but can also cause symptoms such as fatigue, forgetfulness, and anxiety. Long-term deficiency can also affect the function of the heart and muscles. Therefore, for the elderly, whose nutrient absorption is already weak, adding alkali when making congee will make absorption even worse.