"I don't eat anything [made of] Jell-O and I don't eat stuffing unless it's prepackaged," she said. "I can usually eat it if it's prepackaged. I also don't eat gravy, so I'll have plain mashed potatoes."

Vegetarians also skip out on the marshmallow-topped sweet potatoes because marshmallows -- like Jell-O -- contain gelatin, which is an animal by-product.

Animal rights is probably the biggest reason why college students are vegetarians, said Jill Patterson, assistant professor of nutrition.

"It's a combination of health consciousness and wanting to eat lower on the food chain, or not eating animals," she said. "Probably a smaller subset do it as a part of their religion. Some also don't want to deal with the food industry or possible hormones in meat."

There are also different degrees of vegetarianism, Patterson said.

"Many eat just fish or just fish and chicken," she said. "They avoid beef, pork and poultry and eat eggs, fish and dairy. Pseudo vegetarians try to eat vegetarian diets when they can. Like if they're at a friend's house for dinner or at Thanksgiving, they will eat meat. If they can be vegetarian, then they are, but if they can't then they don't make a big situation about it."

Patterson said vegans do not consume anything produced by animals. "Vegans are pure vegetarians," she said.

No matter what your vegetarian style is, Kamp said Penn State works hard to provide meat alternatives for vegetarians. "I think they do a great job at Food Services," she said.

Michele Newhard, Housing and Food Services special project manager, runs the Penn State's Vegetarian Advisory Board (VAB).

"The board is comprised of myself, our executive chef [Bill Laychur], my student nutrition assistant and any vegetarian or vegan who eats in the dining commons can volunteer to be a part of it."

Newhard said VAB meets once a month at the various dining commons on campus.

"We meet in a special private dining room and discuss the current menu so I can take their feedback and concerns to the Food Services menu committee," she said. "We also discuss any other issues that may arise with being a vegetarian and trying to eat in the dining commons, successes they've seen and often times, we discuss vegetarianism in general.

While vegetarians are generally conscious about what they eat, there is some concern that they may not be consuming the right amount of vitamins and minerals. Newhard said VAB looks at the nutrients and ingredients in recipes because we have a nutrient analysis program, we know if it's going to suit people's needs or not. We don't like an entrée that doesn't have any protein. Of course, we don't want copious amounts of cheese and eggs, also, because we want our vegetarian options to be vegan options, as well. So we look at the fat content, also."

Kamp said there are many great foods and side dishes vegetarians eat at Thanksgiving. "There is even a product called Tofurky [which is made with tofu instead of meat]."

Newhard, who is also a vegetarian, said she usually helps her mother prepare a Thanksgiving dinner for her that is vegetarian friendly.

"Me, personally, my mom makes a special vegetarian bread stuffing and sweet potatoes that have a mix of cashews and it's sort of sautéed in a maple syrup concoction," she said. "Other side dishes like vegetables are popular for vegetarians. A lot of vegetarians don't consider what their main dish will be, but just eat all of the side dishes they can eat."

Mullowney said she eats "all of the normal stuff" like cranberry sauce and a lot of bread. She also ate a tofu stir fry. "It's made of green beans, corn, sugar snap peas... basically all of the vegetables you have for dinner except it's put in tofu."

Jessica Parry (sophomore-biobehavioral health), a vegan, said she had a completely vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner even though her parents are not vegetarians.

"We [had] Tofurky that comes with vegetable-based stuffing and gravy, coleslaw without mayonnaise, vegan pumpkin pie and fruit salad," she said. "And my sister makes the best [vegan] lasagna."

Kamp said it is possible to follow a vegetarian diet as long as a person knows what they are doing.

Since vegetarians do not consume meat, Kamp said they should eat foods that are high in calcium, iron, protein and B-vitamins. "Combining vitamin C with iron increases the absorption of iron," she said.

Patterson said it is especially important for vegetarians to consume iron. There are even two types of iron, heme and non-heme.

"Some of the iron found in meat, fish and poultry, or the 'flesh foods,' do have some iron in heme form," she said. "Heme form is a form of iron composed with an organic molecule like it is in blood and muscle. When we eat it, the heme form is more readily absorbed than [the non-heme] iron found in plants."

Heme iron is obviously not found in plants because plants do not have blood or flesh, Patterson said. This poses a problem for vegetarians in that meat also contains a protein molecule that helps to absorb non-heme iron.

So if vegetarians are only consuming the non-heme protein found in plants, which is not absorbed as easy as heme iron and the protein that helps absorb non-heme protein is only found in meat, they may be missing out on iron.

Patterson said vegetarians should have a food supply -- breakfast cereals and breads, for example -- that is readily fortified with iron. "They need to be aware of consuming more iron since less is absorbed," she said. "With people, you can't consume too much iron in foods."

Vegetarians should also make sure they are getting enough of vitamin B-12, which is now being fortified in cereals along with iron, Patterson said. "Vegetarians shouldn't have a problem consuming other vitamins because plants are loaded with them," she said.

Those vegetarians who eat only all-natural foods, as opposed to the fortified cereals that are manufactured, may not be getting enough iron or vitamin B-12. Supplements, Patterson said, may help a vegetarian with his or her iron or vitamin B-12 intake. "You should choose one that has about 100 percent of the daily values."

Soy, Patterson said, is also a good source of protein. "Mixed with vegetables and other grains, it can provide a high-quality, concentrated source of protein for adults," she said. "Vegetarians need to be aware of consuming calcium-fortified foods, also. Some soy products have it, as well, but others don't."

It may not be as easy for college students to live a vegetarian lifestyle as older adults, Patterson said.

"I think sometimes young people have a hard time because it takes a little more effort to put together palliative foods," she said. "Tasty vegetarian dinners take time to plan and cook, so people might lose interest. ... They might get lazy. What's to eat? So they might eat foods with a lot of calories and carbohydrates because they're quicker and easier to prepare."

Students can still live on campus and maintain a vegetarian diet, however. "Restaurants and cafeterias are catering more and more to vegetarian diets," Patterson said. "You can find good vegetarian dishes on campus where you eat. It's much easier now than it was, say, 10 years ago."

Some of the vegetarian dishes are even enjoyed by students that aren't necessarily following a vegetarian diet, Newhard said. "The vegetable chimichanga is definitely a popular item," she said.

Patterson said it is hard for both vegetarians and omnivores to consume enough vegetables on a daily basis.

"Students may be overwhelmed by the selection at the cafeteria and may not take vegetables," she said. "It mainly takes time and consideration [to be a vegetarian]."

Most vegetarians, however, are conscious of the foods they eat, Patterson said.

"They're usually responsible and better at preparing meals," she said. "They are also very nutrient-oriented and exercise."

The Vegetarian Food Pyramid is a good source for vegetarians if they are unsure as to how many servings they should be eating of each food on a daily basis.

Kamp said as long as vegetarians eat a variety of food, a vegetarian diet can be successful. "As long as people are intelligent about their food choices and make sure they're getting everything they need, a plant-based diet can be very healthy."

The American Dietetic Association recommends a variety of foods that are chock full of nutrients vegetarians need:

PROTEIN:

Four bean salad, vegetarian chili, bagel with peanut butter, bowl of oatmeal, lentil soup, vegetable stew, split pea soup, falafel, hummus, bean burrito, bean taco, eggplant parmesan, Navy bean soup, vegetarian burger, pasta with vegetables, vegetable paella, spanakopita

CALCIUM:

Collard, turnip, and mustard greens, broccoli, bok choy, tahini, almonds, tofu processed with calcium, blackstrap molasses, kale, calcium-fortified soy milk, calcium-fortified orange juice, sunflower seeds, dried figs, kidney beans, navy beans and garbanzo beans

IRON:

Soy nuts, spinach, lentils, kale, raisins, broccoli, blackstrap molasses, bok choy, garbanzo beans, swiss chard, watermelon, sesame seeds, pinto beans, iron-fortified cereals, prune juice, bean burritos, figs, bean chili

ZINC:

Tofu, pumpkin seeds, peanut butter, baked beans, tahini, tempeh, miso, hummus, sunflower seeds, lentils, wheat germ, cashews, pecans, millet, black beans, split peas, lima beans, pinto beans, fortified breakfast cereals