Like many kids, I didn't like vegetables — especially carrots and broccoli¹. Adults frequently told me that carrots would improve my eyesight, so that seemed like a good reason to try liking² them.

和很多的小朋友一样，我不喜欢吃蔬菜，尤其讨厌胡萝卜和西兰花。大人们总是告诉我胡萝卜有助提高视力，听起来是个好理由，我们好像应该多吃。

There was one person who didn't tell me this, he actually told me the opposite. My grand father overheard somebody tell me that carrots would improve my eyesight. He didn't say anything immediately, but he let me in on a little secret after that person left the room — it was all a big lie. Carrots do not improve your eyesight.

可是有人却不这么说，事实上他的说法正好相反，那就是我的爷爷。爷爷偶然听到别人教育我胡萝卜可以提高视力，他当时没有说什么，不过等那人离开房间后，爷爷告诉我了一个小秘密：胡萝卜提高视力是个大谎话！

Sure, carrots contain beta-carotene, which metabolizes into Vitamin A and everyone agrees that is essential for maintaining eye health, but it does not improve it (unless the body is deprived of it to begin with). Also, it really has nothing to do with carrots, the necessary vitamins can come from any source.

的确，胡萝卜含有丰富的β-胡萝卜素，通过新陈代谢可以转化成维生素A。大家都知道维生素A是保持眼部健康的基本要素，但它并不能提高视力（身体缺少基本需要的维生素A的情况除外）。另外，这也跟胡萝卜没什么大关系，我们可以通过各种途径摄取身体必需的维生素。

So where did this myth come from?

那这种子虚乌有的说法是从哪儿来的？

During World War II, the British were particularly good at shooting down Nazi³ bombers⁴ at night, when it's almost impossible to see other planes. It was as if they had super-human sight, and they did. They had radar⁵.

在二战期间，英国士兵很擅长在夜间可视条件极差的情况下击落纳粹德国的轰炸机，就好像他们有着超人的视力一样。他们的确有，那就是秘密武器雷达。

Once news stories started to circulate about these pilots with seemingly super-human eyes, the government needed a good explanation to prevent the Germans from learning about this technology. Carrots.

等到关于这些飞行员的“超人眼”故事开始传播开的时候，英国政府就需要个合理的解释，阻止德国人了解这项技术。于是他们想到了胡萝卜。

Flight Lieutenant⁶ John Cunningham, nicknamed "Cats Eyes" for his incredible ability to shoot down enemy planes, had a natural love for carrots. The story wrote itself and they explained that they were feeding other pilots a lot of carrots to improve their eyesight too.

绰号“猫眼”的空军上尉John Cunningham击落敌机能力极强，他特别爱吃胡萝卜。于是故事就这样编出来了：英国政府解释说也让其他的飞行员吃胡萝卜提高视力。