Nia Vardalos has starred in 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' and 'My Life in Ruins,' produced and directed several movies, and most recently co-wrote the new film 'Larry Crowne,' starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. Now Nia has taken on a new role as the spokesperson for
GUM PerioBalance, a daily probiotic lozenge that promotes healthy teeth and gums. We were lucky enough to sit down and speak with her about oral health, her daily fitness routine, and her views on healthy eating. Keep reading for the full interview!
Q: So Nia, one thing that I really envy about you is your gorgeous smile. You must have a secret- what is it?
A: Thank you so much for saying that. I take care of my teeth. I learned quite a bit about the balancing of the mouth and I did some research on probiotics because I was interested, but wary. I was thinking, “What’s this, now?” And then when I learned about the fact that an imbalance in your mouth can be linked to heart disease or even a miscarriage, I thought that was pretty interesting. I took the challenge and I found it so easy. None of us have the time to add something new to our lives. You know when you’re in the mall and they say, “would you like to see a three-step process for better skin?” and you’re like, “No! I don’t have time for three more steps in my life!” What I love about GUM PerioBalance is that you get it in a package, every day is marked, you just leave it by your toothbrush, brush your teeth, floss, and pop in a lozenge. That’s it.
Q: That sounds so simple! I know you have a young daughter- what kind of oral health routine do you have her doing?
A: Exactly that: brush and floss. I stick my giant fingers in her tiny mouth and floss her teeth. I try to make it game and say “are we going to find food today?” and she loves for me to pull the floss out of her mouth and show her the bits that I found; she just finds it fascinating. She’ll say, “but I brushed!”
Q: And as a busy mother, how do you manage to fit exercise into your daily routine?
A: I insist on it because I have a blood sugar issue that I kicked through diet and exercise. Every day I drop my daughter at school (or now camp) and I exercise, shower, get dressed, sit down, and write- that’s my job.
Q. And what kind of workouts do you do?
A: I do a dance class in the valley, I do Pilates, I do the treadmill, or sometimes I just walk my dog.
Q: You are very famously Greek, and eating is a huge part of Greek culture. Is there such thing as being Greek and also being on a diet?
A: No, that’s a dirty word! In fact, people will say that to you, “Why aren’t you having a second helping? Are you on a diet?” They’ll say it with horror in their voice. I actually don’t believe in that either; I just believe in eating what you want but eating in balance.
Q: I read that you were a vegetarian for many years. What made you give that up?
A: The smell of bacon on the set of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding!”
Q: Was it a difficult transition to go back to meat-eating, or was it more of a relief?
A: I was easily a vegetarian because I did not like the taste of meat. And then when I smelled the bacon, I thought, “I want a bite of that!” I really believe that you should listen to your body, so I took a bite of it, thinking “that will end that.” Then I wanted a bite of some chicken, and then beef…so now we’ve switched to grass-fed meat and all organic food. I noticed I was being so careful with what I put into my daughter’s mouth and then I thought “wait, wait, wait- what am I doing with a Diet Coke?” So we got rid of it all; we took everything out of our lives in an attempt to eat healthier.
Q: Do you have any exciting projects coming up that you can tell me about?
A: I’m going to be the mom in the next American Girl movie. And, of course, I co-wrote “Larry Crowne” with Tom Hanks. I am also working on a script with Rob Riggle and doing a lot of different things. But I thought it was just a beautiful match to become the spokesperson for GUM PerioBalance because when I was headed for the red carpet, all I could think about was Julia Robert’s smile and I thought, “hmm, I better do something!” My dentist was so impressed. The lozenge starts working on the first day, and I went to see him after just 21 days. He was so impressed that he asked if I was cheating on him and seeing someone else behind his back!
Q: And is Gum PerioBalance something everyone can use, or it is just for a certain age group of type of person?
A: It’s for me and you- busy people, parents…it’s for the average person who wants to brighten their smile without the use of chemicals.
If you’d like to try out GUM PerioBalance, head to GUM’s Facebook page for a $5 off coupon! GUM PerioBalance is available at CVS and RiteAid.
