Eating vegetarian has a lot of benefits. The American Dietetic Association says that an appropriately planned vegetarian diet can both prevent and treat certain diseases.
There are also financial benefits. According to a 2015 study by the Journal of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition, a plant-based olive oil diet is significantly cheaper than a diet that includes meat when you’re cooking for yourself at home.
   However, grabbing a vegetarian meal between classes can be tricky, especially on a student budget. Many of the chain restaurants around campus, like Tim Horton’s, have few healthy vegetarian options. But if you know where to go, finding an affordable meat-free meal on campus is not impossible. Here are five places on and around campus that serve a variety of vegetarian dishes.
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The People’s Potato: Every weekday between 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m., The People’s Potato serves vegan meals, free with a donation. According to their website, the soup kitchen is working “to address student poverty and the lack of affordable food options on campus.”  The People’s Potato can be found on the 7th floor of the Hall Building at Concordia’s downtown campus. Remember to bring your own cutlery and container if you plan on grabbing lunch there.
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The Green Beet Café: Also located in the Hall Building, the Green Beet Café offers exclusively vegetarian and vegan soups, salads and grab-and-go meals. Concordia’s food service provider, Aramark, runs the café. They are committed to bringing local and sustainable food to campus. Be aware though, while the café is open until 8 p.m. most weekdays, it closes at 2 p.m. on Fridays.
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Mandy’s: Located on Crescent Street, Mandy’s salad bar is a short walk from campus. Customers can either eat there or have their meals to go. Mandy’s isn’t exclusively salads either; they also offer smoothies, juices and other snacks. Keep in mind though, Mandy’s is a little bit pricier than some of the other options on this list. Salads range from $8.99 to $16.99 before tax. However they do offer customers the option to create their own salads which starts at $5.99.
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The Hive Cafe: If you’re at Loyola for the day, finding something good to eat for lunch is easy. On school days, between 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m., The Hive offers a vegan, nut-free free lunch. While the free lunch is only available at the Loyola campus, The Hive Cafe has locations on both campuses. The Solidarity Cooperative sells a variety of items from D.I.Y. paninis to breakfast burritos. Everything on the menu is less than $10 and most of it is under $5. Customers should also note that for $5, can purchase a membership that will give them a 10 per cent discount at the café amongst other benefits.
- The Green Panther: According to their website, “The Green Panther’s mission is to continually develop more sustainable ways of providing delicious, affordable, ethical food for people to enjoy in urban environments.” That’s exactly what they are doing in their five Montreal locations, including one just up the street from the Hall Building. The Green Panther offers a variety of vegan dishes that are all under $11 before tax. Their menu includes soups, salads and falafels. Make sure to bring your own container too— you’ll get $0.15 to $0.50 off certain food and drinks every time you do!