Who are you?

My name is Cândida, I’m 24 years old, I was born, raised and I currently live in Açores, an archipelago of Portugal composed of 9 islands. I’m from a family of farmers, I’d define myself as a conscious and active woman, nutritionist, vegan, passionated by cooking, responsible consumer, and well, much more. I started to become more aware of the impact of my choices regarding food throughout the course of my studies. When I realized the damages that Humankind was doing on the environment and animal wellbeing, I felt the urge to change my habits. The first motivation was environmental, it wasn’t particularly my health. I slowly stopped eating meat, then fish, and turned towards a plant based diet quite naturally. Nowadays, I feel like a happier and healthier person as I make delicious food that doesn’t require any animal suffering and I also try my best to accompany people towards building healthier food habits.

I may already have the answer to this but, what would be an environmental issue that you’re investing yourself in?

Let’s eat better! Let’s be aware of what we’re eating and what it causes, both for us and the planet we live on. A steak is not a ‘’steak’’. We’ve been used to not see animals anymore, but to see food. That’s called ‘’cognitive dissonance’’. In my job, I try as much as possible not to be biased, to base myself on scientific facts. People don’t like being told what they should or should not do. And when they see someone like me, they might feel affected because it’s different from what they chose to do. Therefore, they tease me or make jokes. And it’s okay. I try to be leading by the example. If people see that you can make delicious food and have pleasure in eating less or no meat, this will help building the change I believe in. I live on an agricultural island where 55 000 people live. Here, it’s still quite traditional. You find farms, cows, pigs, chicken very easily. I’m very much aware of where I’m coming from and what I owe to the agricultural world. And I find beauty in agriculture. This land gave me food my whole life. Delicious vegetables, fruits and dairy products too. But I also know that an evolution is possible and is actually necessary. It can come from my generation. The best example of ‘’leading by change’’ can be seen within my own family. Ten years ago, we would have meat on the table almost every day. Nowadays, with a daughter who’s a nutritionist and who’s vegan, who’s very invested in health and shares her knowledge, my parent’s habits have changed. They are aware that too much meat consumption could cause more colon cancer, that the meat production has a huge impact on water usage, land, CO2 emissions… I could talk about this for a long time.

Can I ask you about your views on women’s rights as well?

There’s a link to be made. I just told you about preserving the environment, making changes in our habits and understanding why we’re making them. Usually, women care more about that stuffs. More women are vegetarian. More women get involved in environmental causes. That says a lot about us, women. For the best and for the worst, we have this thing incubated in us. We care for our family and for the planet. This is how it has always been. Change often comes through women. I read a lot of feminist books. I think there’s still a lot of work to be done to have equity and equality. My concerns have to be embodied by men as well. Whether we’re talking about environment or women’s rights, the key element is education. I’m educating myself on as many topics as I can. If all people have access to their rights, this planet will little by little get its rights back too.

Is there anything you want to add?

I have a little dream. In the long run, I’d like to stay in Açores and open a vegan brunch cafe here. There’s potential to make healthy and visually appealing food for the population and the tourists. It would represent a change for my island. As little as it might sound, I’d be very proud of it.