Nowadays we hear more often about vegetarian and vegan foods. Both exclude meat but vegans also abduct from the consummation of all foods of animal origin as long as animal source foods (incl. butter, cheese, eggs, honey, gelatin etc.) They go even further by excluding all goods of animal origin like leather, wool, glycerin and products tested on animals, from their daily life. The fundamental belief of vegans is a humanistic approach to animals and a responsibility for nature.

AND YET – WHO ARE VEGANS?
    

     “Veganism is both the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products, particularly in diet, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals.”- Wikipedia 

     People tend to mock vegans and their way of life but veganism becomes a massive trend. Examples for vegan food are - rice, cheese with no milk, all kinds of vegetables, dandelion milk. It may seem that their meals choice is restricted, but they still manage to provide themselves all vital substances and vitamins. Even though considered a temporary fancy or craziness, vegan way of life proves itself healthy for certain types of organism. 

    The number of countries promoting veganism is growing. On the top of the list stays Israel, called the absolute “vegan capital” of the world in an article of The JSpaceNews. There are 300 000 vegans in this small country, who comprise 4 % of the population and turn Israel into vegan capital with the highest number of vegans per capita. Other countries, where veganism grows in popularity are Spain, Great Britain, Sweden, Germany, India, Canada and USA. Vegan food is sold even at the Oktoberfest in Germany, while Palitana- a city in Bhavnagar district in India is the first city in the world to ban the production and trade of eggs and meat. Some of the most famous celebrities have gone vegan like Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow, Pamela Anderson, Bill Clinton, Bryan Adams, Mike Thyson, Natalie Portman, Usher etc.

     To sum up, veganism gains followers around the world every day. The benefits are not only for the animals, but also for the humans and their own health. The vegan meal includes fruits, vegetables, nuts, sprouts, oils etc. It is healthy and keeps to minimum the risk of overweight, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and bad cholesterol. Furthermore, modern cuisine can recreate any food present in the regular menus for vegans with similar taste and nutrient qualities. 

SO DO VEGANS NEED PROBIOTIC?

     No matter the difference between meat-eaters, vegetarians and vegans, they all have something in common- they all eat. Whatever is to be consumed, it goes through our organism, where the beneficial substances are extracted and the harmful ones are thrown away.

    We encounter harmful bacteria daily, which enter the body, attack the immune system and may cause serious harm. Probiotics are our “guards” in the gastro-intestinal flora – they protect the immune system, aid digestion and metabolism and keep the balance between “good” and “bad “bacteria in the intestines, where as we have mentioned in previous articles, 80% of the immune cells are situated.  

     Having in mind that probiotics are found in yogurt and vegans don’t consume dairy products, the obvious question occurs – how can they be taken by vegans? The solution is called ProViotic- innovative nutrition additive, which contains only probiotic made of plant and processed in vegetable juice. This is a unique solution, which is the perfect solution for people on a special diet like vegans.

PROVIOTIC – THE BULGARIAN PROBIOTIC FOR VEGANS

    ProViotic is a product well- known in the United States thanks to the Harvard alumni – Kiril Petkov. Hundred years after the discovery of Prof. Stamen Grigorov, another Bulgarian has discovered another treasure- probiotic, extracted from the flowers of Galanthus nivalis- snowdrop flower, growing in the pure forests of Stara Planina and cultured in bio carrot juice.

The product being so successful on the American market is expected to gain popularity in Canada, EU and Asia, where 70% of the population suffer from lactose intolerance according to recent medical research. 

Proviotic is based on the strain GLB44- one of the 300 Lactobacillus bulgaricus strains – lactic bacteria with well-known beneficial qualities and subject of our previous article. The production process includes lyophilization and no additives. Each Proviotic capsule contains billions of living cells, a quantity exceeding the total number of living cells in 10 pots of yogurt. This is a 100 % natural product with no GMOs, lactose, gluten, soya or added colors. All base materials including the capsule are bio products, certified with acknowledged Austrian certificate for bio agricultural production. It’s a product made for vegetarians, vegans and people suffering lactose intolerance.
    

     As we have already mentioned above, the idea for the proviotic is occurred to Kiril Petkov and Michael Marsch – both of whom are Harvard alumni. Yet the patent holder of the strains and official producer is located in Sofia – Bulgaria. Series of research conducted in Bulgaria proved the beneficial effects of GLB44 on the global health of the organism.

Scientists from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the Medical University have proven that this particular strain can beat harmful bacteria like Salmonella, Е.coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, L.Monocytogenes, while a Bulgarian gastroenterologist –Prof. B. Vladimirov proved its ability to cope with Helicobacter pylori (bacteria causing ulcers). It has also been discovered that GLB44 produces bulgaricin – active substance capable of destroying bad bacteria causing no harm to the immune cells. 

     Research was repeated at the Harvard Medical School by Prof. Andrew Onderdonk, who concluded the following:

“You have discovered something more than additive. You have a probiotic that has a potential for entirely beneficial effects- not only because it improves the gut flora and the immune system, but also because it destroys pathogenic bacteria, causing diseases, while keeping the good lactobacillus.”

WHAT PROVIOTIC HAS ACHIEVED IN THREE YEARS

    To be accepted on the American market the Proviotic has undergone multiple testing by the strictest agency in the world- the Food and drug agency in the USA. After the successful register procedures in FDA , the proviotic occurred on the Manhattan  market in May 2014. Initially offered as probiotic additive to Juice Press LLC products- the leading producer of bio juices in Manhattan, proviotic shortly gains market share and becomes a leader in its product category among 59 competitive products. It is sold in 9600 stores of the pharmacy chains CVS in all American states and in the Fifth Avenue. 

Some of Victoria’s Secret’ angels has made it part of their menu along with Oprah Winfrey herself, who recommends it in the „The Oprah Magazine“January, 2016- for improving digestion.

Prof. Dr. Andrew Onderdonk was cited in a "Wall Street Journal“ article, where he describes proviotic as an amazing product, capable of substituting antibiotics.  

It has also been awarded “Bulgarian Innovation “for 2015, at the Bulgarian Pharmacy Days Forum.

Dear customers, we cannot protect ourselves from fatigue, sleep deficits, irregular eating and stress.  All of these factors influence our intestinal balance badly and can seriously harm our immune system.  Despite our different diets and eating habits, we can all improve our well-being through probiotics. Vegans choose a life closer to nature and so is the proviotic. 

100 % bio product, which aids digestion, prevents from antibiotics’ after-effects on the stomach, prevents from food poisoning and combined with sports, keeps the body in good shape. The balance between good and bad bacteria is not to be ignored, because the stomach is the biggest immune organ and we have to keep as many immune cells as possible.