About Rawmazing
- Welcome to Rawmazing where learning about and preparing raw food is easy and exciting.
We use pure unprocessed ingredients, prepared with minimal intervention, to create raw food recipes that are nutritionally dense without sacrificing the taste and presentation of traditional recipes.
If you are simply looking for healthier options, or are ready to dive into raw head first, you will find what you are looking for at Rawmazing.
Have fun searching the recipes, articles and our new store. Make sure you sign up for our mailing list so you don’t miss any updates!
I have designed this website designed to help you transition from the SAD (Standard American Diet) to the healthy, tasty world of raw food.
Having been involved with food and wine for years as a trained sommelier, gourmet food and fine wines were a part of my every day lifestyle. Meeting and working with many top chefs and studying classical french cooking along with many other cuisines, inspired my passion and creativity for food. It also led me down a path to excess weight, general fatigue and other symptoms that I knew were associated with my diet. My body was seriously rebelling and I needed to do something about it.
Then I found raw. It was exciting to find a whole new way to prepare and eat food. Exploring the world of raw food was fun. There were new things to learn at every turn. I tried some of my own recipes but experienced a lot of failure, so I just learned how to prepare raw food using every cookbook I could get my hands on. Reading about raw, the health benefits, and the principles behing this way of eating became an obsession.
I became 100% raw. It was amazing. I lost weight, had more energy than I have ever had and the best part was the mental clarity that I began to experience. My health issues resolved themselves and I felt better than I had for years.
But all journeys have their bumps in the road. Minnesota winters are very cold and long. Stress was building up in my life from other sources and I defaulted back to my “comfort” food. All the consequences of what I was eating became glaringly obvious as I gained weight, experienced more fatigue and lost my focus. Knowing full well that all of the symptoms I was having were directly related to what I was eating, when spring hit, I decided to dedicate myself to raw again.
This time, I did it differently. Food is a sensory experience. My greatest desire was to create food that not only tasted wonderful, but also was beautiful to look at. I believe in presentation and that it is an important part of the dining experience. Having fallen off of the wagon also gave me insights on how to incorporate raw back into my life…striving for 80-90% this time, not 100%. With a little patience,planning and some transitional recipes, it is easy to avoid the pitfalls that temp us to this healthy way of life. Eating well is one of the best gifts that we can give ourselves and our loved ones.
It is said that 60% of our illness in this country is caused by the SAD (Standard American Diet). Our current way of eating is not only making us sick, it is also quickly depleting our planet of it’s resources in ways that are completely unnecessary. It is time to bring a new mindset to the masses. Help us spread the word as we show ways to a more nutritional way of eating that doesn’t require you to give up the flavor and beauty of food!
Warmest Regards,
Susan Powers
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Disclaimer:
This website is intended to give you information about healthy eating based on research, personal experience. I am not a doctor and information on this website should not be considered medical advice. Please consult your physician for health treatment and diagnosis.
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I agree with Susan, it doesn’t happen overnight. Just like it doesn’t happen overnight that we get “di-eases” or wrinkles, gain weight, grey hair – whatever we’re trying to “get rid of”. Any health regime takes time. I’d say stick with it for 6 mos to a year atleast. I did find out I had a systemic candida condition this summer, and I’d been frustrated the past year with going 100% raw but being 9-mo pregnant looking bloated. What a relieve to finally have a diagnosis – as I couldn’t believe it was the diet! I’m on a strict anti-candida raw diet – no sugars, use only stevia (sparingly as most still have glycerin in them), grapefruit and granny smiles apples for fruits. I’m working with my ND (naturopathic doctor) and have probably lost the last 10 lbs I’ve been trying to forever.
I guess, like with every new diet, check with your doctor (MD or natural) and have a check-up and possibly blood work done to make sure you don’t have something going on. Oh – I had an blood allergy test done called Alcat (www.alcat.com). I found out regular things I was allergic to, things I ate on a regular basis. That made me think how important a rotational diet is, so we don’t become sensitized to things we eat regularily. Variety is the spice of life I guess, Christie, hang in there!
Susan, I wanted to add my thanks for this wonderful website of yours!
I grew up on meat and potatoes while watching my family member struggle with obesity along with diagnoses of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, the list goes on and on….I was on the same track but became a vegetarian years ago and now I am experimenting with raw foods, and seriously considering transitioning to a high raw diet. Its only been 2 months but this website has inspired me, Raw seems “doable” and your recipes are lovely and tasty. My non-vegetarian husband was not sure about this raw effort of mine, but he loves your recipes, and he’s been eating high raw by default!
Best, Kira
PS I agree in that the benefits of dietary change take some time, going veg resolved my health issues but it took time, consistency and a well rounded life (exercise, etc).
I absolutely love my raw transition. Due to health reasons, I was always eating a vegan food plan. Now I have discovered raw eating and feel even better! I love the simplicity of it and the preparation and recipes are so awesome. My digestive system is almost healed…goodbye to the bad diseases and chronic pain! You only have one life to live, and this is it.
I live my live Rhawwhaaaaa…
Susan, you’re doing an amazing job!!
This website shows that raw food can be actually tasty, and delicious, not mentioning the way it looks !! I was vegetarian for 10 years,vegan for 6 months and now I’m turning into raw vegan. I’m so excited !
Now I know that vegan meal can also be a great dining experience. I can’t wait to try out your recipes
best, Anna
I am relieved and inspired to find a raw food lover who lives in the Mid-West! I have thought about choosing raw lifestyle for a year now and have decided to transition. My challenges consist of living on a tight budget, three children, and finding organic close. The most comforting advise I have read is, slow and steady. My main challenge is to transition my children. First things first, I stopped buying candy, but need to find a way to replace the sweet tooth. Second, vegetables . . . ummmm where do I begin. I guess you could say we are the SAD poster family. Aware of the fact it may take time I am so thankful for free blogs such as this one. I could possibly start the poor woman’s raw food adventure!!!
Susan,
I really think that if left to itself, the raw food movement will end up as a cliche for our generation’s version of ‘healthful eating.’ Everyone seems to want a method, or a plan and when they follow the interpretation of another (and often fail) they tend to throw the idea out as well because they’ve lumped it all together. There is not one way to succeed as a raw food-ist. If they would listen to their body, then they would find their own balance within the ideologies that they clamor for. For a free people, we certainly are addicted to being told what we should or should not do….which is unfortunate.
When you added the (gasp) idea of including ‘transitional’ meals into your raw diet, I had to smile. There are times of the year when cold, raw food just doesn’t make you feel good, and adding a few key ingredients can make a huge difference without compromising your ‘raw food integrity.’
Thank you for being a gentle, joyous advocate for sane eating. Be encouraged in your truth and in your message. You are right, and you have one more loyal fan.
Hello,
Could you give me some ideas for eating raw on the road? My husband and I are photographers who spend a couple of months at a time on the road in areas where “organic” and “vegetable” are suspect words. We have a very effective cooler/refrigerator in our car, but are often stuck with nothing but offensive foods on offer. I plan to take a mini-food prep pack with me (spiralizer, chopper, ceramic knife and peeler, oils, cider vinegar, herbs, nuts and seeds) but I could sure use some inspiration to fill out our choices!
Dear Susan,
I just want to say thank you so much for your wonderful and inspiring work you are doing here! Your website is simply gorgeous and made with so much love. I’m sure it’ll help many people to find raw lifestyle much more interesting and will convince them about the many advantages to try it.
God bless you!
Love, Karl
Hi Susan,
I’m glad I found your website. Being a cancer patient, eating healthy and wise is the key to achieving optimum health. Your chocolate dessert recipe for cookies looked so delicious, I went to Whole Foods and bought ingredients to make at home. Chocolate is my addiction.
Warm regards,
Anna
Hi Susan,
Just discovered your site today. It really is rawmazing!
I spend a large part of each year in Japan where there are very few vegetarians, never mind raw foodists. That said, they do have the longest life expectancy in the world. Your website appears to have a lot to offer someone like me who is not yet ready for 100% raw. I do find though that the more fruit and vegetables I consume, the “more energy” and greater “mental clarity” I achieve.
You have amazing recipes and beautiful pictures! Thank you for sharing them with everyone. With these recipes anyone could manage a raw food diet.
Susan,
You have put an incredible amount of work into it. Doing the recipes AND being the photog is truly “rawmazing!”
I just received a yearly report from Wordpress and noticed that you ranked in the top five for “top referring sites!” Thanks!
Stopped by to visit your blog and wow – well done.
Happy New Year!
Kelly
I am just at the beginning of my raw journy, to date I have found it to be wonderful. I feel really well and full of energy.
Great Job Susan — the website is well designed and beautiful – you have done our field well!! and you are very creative!! I’ve been doing raw since 2000 — and find it so rich with taste, health, prana and on and on…. So excited that consciousness is expanding in this way… we can so appreciate nature’s gifts through this type of connection. Yes food is real!! It doesn’t have to be processed!!
Sincerely,
Patti Star
Thanks so much for this site! I’ve been interested in going raw for a few years but I haven’t felt confident enough to take the plunge. Your blog has done a good job of convincing me! A great resource of information and recipes. Thanks again!
Dear Susan,
I just found your blog and I have to say THANK YOU for being such an inspiration and for creating such a helpful, encouraging, non-judgmental space. I think part of what makes transitioning to raw food so scary is the change, but also the all-or-nothing attitude. I have had to deal with my own all-or-nothing attitude for years, and I know it only makes me obsessive and sets me up to fail, because I end up feeling like a failure any time I am not 100% perfect, and then I feel like the day is shot, so I might as well go all out. I have been trying to let go of that mindset for years! So once again, thank you for inspiring me to be a little better each day, rather than the best I can be right off the cuff
Hello all-
I had my first experience with raw food just recently at a restaurant called Quenna’s on Granby Street in Norfolk, VA. The food was fantastic, amazingly flavored, beautiful to behold, creative. I was surprised how much I loved it. Since then, I have been reading everything about raw I can get my hands on. I doubt I will ever go completely raw, but I will certainly be including a lot more raw meals into my diet.
By the way, Quenna’s was voted BEST VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT in Norfolk. Well deserved. The service is not fast, but fast food is not what we are after, right? Healthful food is!
I am soo sooo thankful for all the time, energy and information your giving us earthy people.
Raw Power! Keep it up.
With love,
~Haley
I also doubt I will ever go completely raw, But am definitely inclined to eat raw way more. Just wanted to say thanks and how awesome it is that you are sharing all these amazing recipes with everyone. It’s a great gift.
Marie
CONGRTULAZIONE PER QUESTO FANTASTICO SITO. LOVE.
CONGRATULAZIONE PER QUESTO BELLISSIMO SITO, BACI BACI DALL’ITALIA.
I just found your website. THANK YOU! I have been pretty much a healthy eater for several years. However, just recently, I’ve had this strange desire to eat Raw. My body seem to crave it; so I went searching for Raw food. I must say that it doesn’t look like it’s going to be too difficult; however, the cost is a little intimidating. Finding your site gives me hope. The recipes look wonderful, and once I get some standard ingredients, it looks as though it would eventually become cost effective. After reading some of the stories, I decided to go s-l-o-w-l-y. Of course, the excitement of the possibility of having less pain, made diving right into it, a little tempting. Again, thanks for sharing. I deliciously look forward to experiencing some of your treasured dishes. Be Blessed. Nailah
Hello Susan!
Just wanted to drop a note to say it’s great to hear from someone who’s gone through the trials and tribulations of going raw and then struggling to maintain it. I started and had amazing results, only to “fall down” and go back to the SAD diet..I’ve been struggling with getting going again.
I just changed my commitment though, as I’ve started a site to get a focus on getting all aspect of health going, not just nutrition, although I believe that once you get your diet in place, exercise gets easier and like you said your mental clarity comes back..
Anyway, thanks again for your education. It’s really appreciated and needed.
Patrick Norris
Ever since discovering this site a few of days ago, it has quickly become my favorite site now. I have tried the Broccoli Mushroom Stir Fry – ahhhhmazing, the Spicy Veggie Stir Fry – oh yummy, the broccoli avocado mango salad – tasty (I devoured it like candy and even without any dressing). Now I am planning to try the Thai Style Noodles and Veggies and Raw Walnut Cacao Dreamy. Who knew that raw could taste so good? You have managed to take the “scary” out of transitioning to raw foods. Thank you for this wonderful site!!!
P.S. – I also ordered your Rawmazing cookbook via Kindle as well.
Comment for Kitchen Aid Giveaway:
Raw Food is real nutrition for my biology.
If you are entering the contest, you comment needs to be on that post. Cheers!
I like the fact that you have cold winters! I live in Canada, where winter is 5-6 months of the year. Most of the other raw foodists I have found live somewhere warm and almost tropical, with year round food growing conditions. I think that makes the transition to being 100% raw more difficult, especially if you are watching your carbon footprint and have a hard time supporting food that comes from miles and miles away. As a learning homesteader, I have usually canned or frozen home grown food, but the awesome thing about switching to raw is dehydrating! I look forward to following your recipes, especially this winter!
Namaste
Thank you Susan for sharing your story. I feel the same way as you having gone 100% Raw in 2006, survived the first winter by going to Florida but the next one got me. Besides that I was pregnant! Comfort foods crept back in even though I continued on with my big green daily salad. My daughter Gaby is almost 4 now and I am ready to get back to LIVING with raw foods. She has surprised me by eating raw Kale right out of the field and after a long time of presenting her some salad she has finally begun to eat it with me!!
I keep reminding myself about that peaceful state of mind, energy and presence that a clean diet allows. I remember it so fondly and am on my way back home
I am so glad to have found your site. It has been so fun learning to eat more raw foods in creative ways. Thanks for having so much in one place! Cheers!
This forum is a great place to learn about raw foods. I’m excited to know more!
Interesting to read about your journey, Susan. I was also a mad foodie/gourmet before turning veg, and now am working towards a goal of 50% raw, myself, using coobooks, experimentation, skills I developed as a personal chef, and enticing blogposts such as yours. Thanks for taking the time to discuss your successes with us.
Peace, Mari
Dear Susan!
What a great Website! Thank you so much! I have been looking for information regarding raw food, as I myself started eat raw ( it is about 60 -70 % of my diet) not long time ago. And I can only confirm your words, how great it is, I feel so much better, healthier, have so much energy…. It is not easy to find good, interesting and tasty looking recipes, but I finally found your Website and I am absolutely thrilled. Eventhough I am not 100 % raw, the different is huge – the life quality improved so much. I would really recommend everyone to try it. My husband joined me, as he saw what a great impact it had on me. Now I am trying to introduce my parents to this great, healthy way of living.
Anyway thanks again for sharing with us, take care!
Love Katarina
P.S.: Please apologize my English, it is not my native language:)
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