Many of the risks for chronic diseases - including obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and dementia - can be traced back to your first 1,000 days of existence, from the moment you were conceived. The roots of these vulnerabilities may extend back even further, to experiences your parents and grandparents had - and perhaps even beyond. Heredity involves much more than the genes your parents passed on to you. Thanks to the relatively new science of epigenetics, we now know that the experiences of previous generations may show up in your health and well-being.

Learn how to live a healthy life and leave a legacy of wellness by looking both to the past and to the future with Judith Finlayson in her new book You Are What Your Grandparents Ate: What you need to know Nutrition, Experience, Epigenetics & the Origins of Chronic Disease.

As part of Markham Public Library’s Science Literacy Week celebrations, Judith will be delivering a short presentation followed by a book signing. Books will be available for purchase.

About the Author

Judith Finlayson is a bestselling author who has written books on a variety of subjects, from personal well-being and women’s history to food and nutrition. A former national newspaper columnist for The Globe and Mail, magazine journalist and board member of various organizations focusing on legal, medical and women’s issues, she is also the author of over a dozen cookbooks. Judith lives in Toronto, Canada.