Do carrots help you see in the dark?

Carrots lined up

This myth isn’t strictly true, but the story of how it came about is quite interesting. First of all, carrots are rich in beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A by the liver, which itself has been linked with many health benefits. However, various tests and studies have conclusively proved that eating carrots will not improve your eyesight if it is already good. That being said, if you have a vitamin-A deficiency then it is likely that eating carrots will improve your night vision.

The origin of this myth stems from WWII. During the war Britain developed a new way to determine the location of Nazi bombers before they reached England, known as airborne interception (AI) radar. However, not wanting to alert the enemy to their new technology, the British government released various pieces of propaganda through the Ministry of Food stating that the new detection method was the result of pilots eating more carrots and being able to see the bombers more clearly in the dark. As well as fooling the Nazis, this story also encouraged British people to grow and eat more vegetables at a time when other goods such as meat were scarce due to rationing.