When some people think about vegetarianism, platefuls of bland greens, strange tofu dishes or tasteless soy burgers may come to mind. But for Raquel Garcia, senior in ACES, being a vegetarian isn’t all that bad.

“People just don’t understand,” Garcia said. “They have this mentality that vegetarians just eat fruits and salad, but any dish you can eat, you can make with meat or without meat. It’s just that extra step.”

Garcia organized the La Casa Vegetarian Event with Students Improving the Lives of Animals and La Casa Cultural Latina. The event took place on Monday from 7 to 9 p.m. at La Casa, the cultural Latino house on campus. Various Latino vegetarian meals were served for free, and this year’s focus was on Native American foods.

Garcia organized this event to expose people to different vegetarian dishes such as Native-American pudding, an Incan dish called Quinoa, and nopales, which are cactus pads. She also said the event is to promote a healthier lifestyle since the Latino community has a higher incidence of diabetes than Americans, according to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse Web site.

“(Diabetes) can be prevented through exercise and diet since it’s onset by obesity,” Garcia said.

Tim Vieira, freshman in engineering, found that since becoming a vegetarian, not only might he be reducing his risk of developing diabetes, but his health in general has improved.

“I have more energy, lower cholesterol, and I had an excellent blood test,” Vieira said. “I lost a few pounds I didn’t know I had, and my acne is almost cleared up.”

Jodi Kalas, junior in LAS, finds that she manages to maintain a healthier diet as a vegetarian.

“I eat more fruits and vegetables than most meat-eaters,” Kalas said.

However, vegetarianism doesn’t guarantee good health.

“I wouldn’t advocate one way or the other,” said Karen Chapman-Novakofski, associate professor of Nutrition at the University. “I think you can have a healthy diet on a vegetarian diet as well as on a diet with meat products. It just depends on how you eat between the two.”

On the other hand, some worry that excluding meat from the diet prevents people from getting essential nutrients.

“We used to worry about vitamin B12, but so many foods are now fortified with B12 such as breakfast cereals, waffles, frozen foods and breakfast bars,” Chapman-Novakofski said.

Students choose to be vegetarians for other reasons besides health.

“I don’t believe animals should have to die in order for me to eat, and the way they are killed in such mass numbers, it just makes me sick thinking about it,” said Beverlyn Baer, freshman in LAS.

Kalas shares Baer’s beliefs and has other reasons for abstaining from meat as well.

“We feed so much of the wheat that could feed the hungry to cows, which is a less efficient way f doing things,” Kalas said.

Vieira had his own reasons for giving up meat.

“I knew for awhile that animals are very unhealthy and filled with garbage like hormones and antibiotics,” Vieira said. “I did not want to consume any of that.”

Though Baer chooses not to eat meat herself, she doesn’t look down upon others who do.

“I think (meat-eaters) are free to eat whatever they want,” Baer said. “I just hope that they do not judge me as I do not judge them.”

Garcia said she thinks people have a preconceived notion that there is nothing to eat on a vegetarian diet, which is an idea that the La Casa Vegetarian Event can hopefully correct.

“I guess people sometimes feel like I’m missing out on something,” Garcia said. “I eat rice, beans and chili just like everybody else.”