Check out the totally adorable interview True Romance magazine did with me!

Image: Sxc.hu

Post from: Blisstree

Complete Self-Promotion

Tell me how you first became interested in the raw food movement?
I had been a health seeker since the age of 16 when I developed asthma and an eating disorder. Doctors could do nothing for me so I sought to heal myself, which I did. Constantly looking for ways to maintain my health, I experimented with dozens of healing modalities and even got a master’s degree in acupuncture and herbs. But by far the greatest health secret I discovered was the raw food diet! Someone I met on the internet challenged me to try the diet. After a few weeks I was hooked. My energy at the age of 46 was like that of a 20-year-old. My husband, kicking and screaming at first, was ecstatic when he experienced the same thing.

What can readers learn from your book, The Live Food Factor?
The first section is pure inspiration: 10 reasons to go raw and 20 testimonials (which includes an entire chapter on mine). Without inspiration, no action will be taken.

The second section is the science to back up why it works, which includes 66 studies (some in Appendix D) to support the superiority of eating a diet of 80-100% raw foods. It also explains how cooked food is toxic and keeps us from living our potential.

The third section is a history of the raw food movement and current day leaders.
Section four is a complete how-to guide with all kinds of tips on how to transition, stay raw, avoid pitfalls, detoxify, learn about nutritional controversies, raise children to eat raw, and recipes.

At the end is a complete resource guide (where to shop, books to read, raw restaurants, etc.)

Please check back tomorrow for Part 2 of our interview.

Image: Live Food Factor

Post from: Blisstree

Interview: Author of The Live Food Factor

1. How would you describe Unplugged Living in one sentence?
   Unplugged living is about alternative energy, conservation, recycling,
   and other things that could help offload mother nature.
2. Do you ever wish that kids or spouses had a plug that you could pull when necessary?
   Oh definitely. I have a son and when he was around 2 to 3 years old,
   you just wish there’s a plug or an off button so you can turn him
   off. I think they call this age, the terrible twos where they climb,
   write on the walls and do stuff that you told them not to do.
   Now that my son is 4 years old, I need that plug for another reason.
   Whenever we go to the mall and he sees the toy section, he will force
   his way to that area and find a toy that he wants and won’t let go.
   If I only have a remote where I can type “shutdown now” just like what
   I do when I shutdown my linux machine, that would be very very
   helpful.
3. I see that you have a lot of solar posts on your blog. Would you say that the sun is the best kept secret in energy sources, or the most ignored?
   I think it is. It is an open secret if you can say that because a lot
   of people know that solar technology exists but they don’t find ways
   to use it. The sun has the capacity to power the entire planet
   several times over.
4. Recycling…I think that it is a good thing, but I am leery of recycled
    water. It just seems gross. What is your take on it?
   I give it to somebody who doesn’t complain. My lawn and my plants
5. Earth Day…The earth only deserves one day of recognition? Yet we abuse it
   everyday. Don’t you agree that it should be earth day, everyday?
   Yup. I agree. Everyday should be Earth Day.
6. What is the one conservation project that you are most proud to say that you
   take part in?
   I say it would be the continuous waste segregation. It is simple and
   yet is has one of the most impact in conservation. One doesn’t need
   any special devices, just the will to segregate your household waste.
   Our whole neighborhood is involved so it is great to see other
   people make simple contributions for conservation.
7. What is one plugged in item, in your house, that you couldn’t live without?
   I think that would be the refrigerator, otherwise all our food would
   spoil and we need to keep on going to the grocery every day. That
   would be a total waste of petrol.
8. What made you decide to blog about freeloading off of Mother Nature?
   It’s one of my passion. Ever since I was a kid, I was fascinated with
   solar energy, wind energy and other renewable energy sources.
   One of my goals is to live entirely using power that I produce. It
   might take a lot of money to do that but that’s one of the things I
   really want to achieve.

Noel Bautista

Post from: Blisstree

Let’s Talk About Pulling The Plug

 
1. Would you say that you’re more like Tim The Toolman Taylor, or Al
   Borlin from the old sitcom “Home Improvement,” and why?
   ~I am a perfect fit between the both of them. I have a sensitive side
   just like Al and love tools and get very excited to work with them and
   try new ones out, like Tim.




2. Do you ever wish that you could have an assistant like the ones on
   “Tool Time?”
   ~No, I am a strong believer that safety has to come first with everything
   we done at home and with tools, having a a hot babe around would only
   cause injuries from distractions.




3. What made you want to blog about fixing stuff?
   ~Well after 15 years of being in the trades I thought that it may be a
   good time for me to share what I know. There was an opportunity with in
   the b5media group that I read about on Pro Blogger Job Boards to start
   this blog so I figured I would try it out, and now I am loving it.




4. Wouldn’t you agree that there comes a point when you just need to
   admit failure and call a professional? My husband doesn’t think so.
   ~Yes, I will be covering this topic on site as well. There are certain
   projects that are just to big for the home owner to handle so knowing
   how to hire a contractor is very important. Example of this is my water
   service replacement I had to go through in the past months. There was no
   way I could do it, have your husband watch the video series and let me
   know if he could of done that!




5. Favorite tool?
   ~Milwaukee Hatchet Sawzall




6. What is one tool that you wish someone would invent to fix
   something in your life?
   ~Well I don’t have enough money so a money making machine would be a good
   tool I think to have, don’t you?




7. What is the biggest home renovation project you’ve tackled, so far?
   ~Removing a closet, pushing back a bathroom or basically making a whole
   new one and building a stair case in home home to open up an area and
   make the bathroom more practical.




8. What is some advice that you have for rookies?
   ~Get a good support system, one you can draw answers from when you run
   into problems and have that support group in place before you start a
   project.




9. How is being a parent similar to fixing a household object?
   ~Both cause high levels of stress so in short, both can give you Grey
   hairs at a fast pace.

So, if you’re anything like my husband, or know a man who is (possibly one that shares your bed,) send him over to Collin’s place. It is a great way to pick up some neat tips and get insider info on how to correctly execute home repairs (which may save you hundreds of dollars in the long run!) Now I’m off to pick up some static filters, as Collin suggested. I advise you to do the same, after you read about why they are so smart, over at “Tool Belt Tips.”

Post from: Blisstree

Callin’ On Collin