It is often said that we are what we eat, and like most clichés it has a ring of truth to it. I know that when I eat junk food my body does not like it. Other foods are harder to define as good or bad though. They change from individual. I have always thought I had a food intolerance and I decided to find out once and for all by taking a York Test.

I take a First Step Test. It arrives via the post and consists of a lance to piece the finger, antiseptic wipes, a cotton bud wrapped in plastic to soak up the blood and a test tube to put it into. It also comes with step-by-step instructions which are easy to follow. I pierce my finger, massage it so it bleeds more and then put the cotton swap in the test tube when I am finished. It is relatively easy, even if you have to work up that little bit of courage to pierce the finger. After I have finished I post it away immediately.

Ten days later the results come back and I have tested positive for food intolerance. I suspected as much. I would rather not have an intolerance but it is better to know. Following the first step test you can then do a Foodscan or a Food & Drink Scan. They are quite pricey but worth it if you can afford it.

The First Step Test is available for the offer price of £9.99 (usually £19.99). Following the First Step, if your result is positive you can then progress to either the FoodScan, which tests for intolerances to 113 trigger foods for £250, or the full Food & Drink Scan for £299. For a limited time, if you progress to the full Food & DrinkScan after taking the First Step, the initial test price will be discounted from the cost of your full test.

Food & DrinkScan can be purchased from www.yorktest.com or by calling free phone 0800 074 6185.