Thanksgiving, as any vegetarian can tell you, is not about turkey. It began in 1621 as a feast of thanks for an abundant harvest. Almost 400 years later, we're still grateful.

Thanksgiving is all about tradition, but this year, it's about change, too. Even if Barack Obama wasn't your candidate, his victory reflects our country's desire for a new, better direction. This year, we can take that desire to the kitchen, too.

As a senator, Obama voted for the 2008 Farm Bill, which supports family farms and organic agriculture. As president, he can implement these and other policies aimed not just at healthful food but a healthy food system -- one that preserves our environment, protects consumers and respects growers.

The Slow Food USA folks (with help from the likes of restaurateur Alice Waters and author Michael Pollan) have helped pave the way with a Food Declaration. It lays out a dozen principles -- from harnessing clean, renewable energy for agriculture to educating children about food preparation, nutrition and enjoyment -- that should be government policy.

Many of its precepts can also be enacted by us. We can bring our kids into the kitchen and show them how to create a memorable Thanksgiving meal (turkey optional). We can commit to buying organic or locally grown produce. We can grow our own, even if it's just a pot of herbs in a sunny windowsill.

Change starts with us. It starts with being thankful for what we have and by thinking before we buy and eat.

Check out www.fooddeclaration.org and sign the pledge. You can join the movement for change in a click and still have time for pumpkin pie.

Ellen Kanner writes biweekly about vegetarian concerns.

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