A major study has shown almost half of the UK’s adults are fed up of being told to eat healthily.

The Mintel report claimed 48 per cent of adults were fed up of being “told what to eat by do-gooders on healthy eating campaigns.”

The market researcher claimed the UK public is showing signs of health education overload from well-intentioned schemes.

The study also revealed many adults were confused over what actually constitutes healthy food.

James McCoy, senior market analyst said: “There is clearly a large number of adults who are suffering from chronic information overload when it comes to healthy eating issues.”

Kevin Hawkins, director general of the British Retail Consortium, said: “It is important that consumers understand about healthy lifestyles but to really benefit consumers, it is essential that the messages government puts across are clear, consistent and not over simplistic.

“It is not about telling people what to eat or not to eat; it's about bringing about cultural and behavioural change.”

According to Mintel, around seven in 10 (69 per cent) adults say 'it is hard to know which foods are healthy as advice from experts keeps changing', while almost three in five (58 per cent) say that 'it is difficult to work out if foods are healthy from the labels or information on the pack'.

McCoy said: “It seems consumers may now be in 'switch off mode' when it comes to this advice, which has been named by Mintel as 'do-gooder fatigue'. Clearly, health education campaigners need to find new ways to encourage change for the better in diet among this section of the population.”

At the same time, the research has also revealed what Mintel describe as a “Super Consumer”.

“These forward thinking Britons will take everything on board in terms of diet and health issues and will be more discerning about the food they put on their plate, be it for themselves, their partners or their family as a whole," added McCoy.

Despite widespread irritation with healthy eating campaigns, the research also shows that around half of adults consider themselves to be overweight to some degree.

In fact, some one in five (22 per cent) feel that they are 'quite a bit overweight', with women (25 per cent) more likely than men (18 per cent) to feel this way.

McCoy said: "It is interesting to speculate whether there is any correlation between a relatively buoyant mood in the economy and spiralling levels of overweight and obese adults in Britain. It should be borne in mind however, that eating habits tend to evolve over time, and that economic prosperity is likely to be only one aspect of a more complex set of factors behind the current so-called obesity epidemic.”

Those aged 55-64 years old are the most likely to see themselves as being 'slightly overweight', which is consistent with more sedentary lifestyles and a tendency to be fighting the classic middle age spread.

Interestingly, the 15-24 year olds are the most likely to feel that they are 'about the right weight'.