For a time, I followed a whole‑food plant‑based diet. It taught me how to build meals around real ingredients, how to rely on fiber and nutrients, and how to keep my cooking simple and clean. I’m grateful for everything that lifestyle gave me.
But as I started planning for the future — especially the possibility of keeping goats again — I realized my diet needed to evolve. Not because I stopped believing in whole‑food eating, but because homesteading comes with realities that a strict plant‑based diet doesn’t always account for.
This is the story of how my future goat plans helped shape my shift toward a whole‑food omnivore lifestyle.
The Homestead Reality: Goats Produce Kids Every Year
Anyone who has ever kept goats knows this truth:
If you keep dairy goats, you will have kids born every year.
Some will sell. Some won’t.
And as a responsible homesteader, you have to have a plan for the ones that don’t sell — a plan that respects the animals and fits into your household’s food system. Everything on a homestead needs a purpose. When you raise goats, you’re committing to the whole cycle: the milk, the kids, the care, and sometimes the meat. It’s not about being harsh — it’s about being prepared and making sure nothing is wasted. Using the animals you raise in a thoughtful, respectful way is part of good stewardship, and I want my diet to reflect that before I bring goats back into my life.
For me, that means acknowledging something simple and practical:
Using the meat from unsold kids is part of responsible homesteading.
It’s not wasteful. It’s not cruel. It’s not careless.
It’s the natural cycle of keeping dairy animals, and it’s how small homesteads have operated for thousands of years.
Why I’m Preparing My Diet Now, Before I Get Goats Again
I’m not getting goats right away. But I am preparing for the day when I do.
I want my diet to already include:
- butter
- whole milk
- clean meats
- simple, nutrient‑dense meals
So when the time comes, I’m not trying to make a major dietary shift at the same time I’m managing kidding season, milking routines, or feed schedules.
I want to be ready.
Adding whole milk was the first step, adding butter to my coffee was the second. Adding meat — slowly, intentionally — is the third.
This isn’t a sudden change. It’s a gradual, thoughtful transition toward a diet that matches the life I’m building.
Using Goat Milk and Goat Meat Fits Perfectly Into Whole‑Food Eating
One thing I’ve always loved about whole‑food diets is how they emphasize simplicity and real ingredients. Goat milk and goat meat fit that philosophy beautifully.
Goat Milk
- whole
- clean
- nutrient‑dense
- easy to digest
- perfect for yogurt, kefir, cheese, and cooking
Goat Meat
- lean
- mild
- high‑protein
- ideal for stir‑fries, soups, and ground‑meat dishes
- a natural use for kids that don’t sell
Nothing processed. Nothing artificial. Nothing wasteful.
Just whole food — straight from the homestead.
Why This Shift Makes Sense for Me
This change isn’t about abandoning plant‑based principles. It’s about expanding them.
I still believe in:
- vegetables
- fruits
- whole grains
- beans
- nuts and seeds
- simple cooking
- real ingredients
But I’m adding:
- butter
- whole milk
- clean meats
- future goat products
Not because I “gave up,” but because I’m planning ahead.
I want a diet that:
- fits my future homestead
- uses what I produce
- avoids waste
- stays whole‑food‑based
- keeps me nourished
- respects the animals I raise
This is the Whole‑Food Omnivore lifestyle — plant‑forward, animal‑inclusive, and grounded in real homestead practicality.
Looking Ahead
When I eventually bring goats back into my life, I want to be fully prepared:
- emotionally
- nutritionally
- practically
I want to use their milk. I want to use their meat. I want to honor the cycle of raising animals responsibly.
And I want my diet to already reflect that reality.
This transition isn’t just about food. It’s about aligning my lifestyle with my values — sustainability, responsibility, whole‑food eating, and respect for the animals I care for.
I’m not rushing. I’m not forcing anything. I’m simply preparing for the life I know I’m moving toward.
And this shift feels right.
I also want to be clear about something: I never followed a vegan or plant‑based lifestyle because I had a personal issue with killing animals or eating their meat. That was never the reason. I chose that way of eating for my health, and it served me well for a time. But now it’s time to move forward and continue my health journey in a different way. I believe God gave us permission to eat meat for a reason, and I’m comfortable honoring that. I’ve always felt that animals raised on a homestead — cared for directly, treated with respect, and given a good life — are part of a natural, humane cycle. Commercial meat production can absolutely be cruel, but small‑scale, hands‑on homestead meat production isn’t the same thing. When you raise the animals yourself, you’re responsible for their wellbeing from start to finish, and that changes everything. It becomes a relationship, not a factory. And that’s the kind of system I feel comfortable being part of.
SMALL HOMESTEAD by the river 