San Francisco 49ers star linebacker Fred Warner is a powerhouse on the field, but off the field, he’s embracing a new role—fatherhood. Warner and his wife, Sydney, welcomed their son, Beau, last March, and the experience has been nothing short of life-changing.

“He is the light of our lives and makes life so much more fun and interesting,” Warner said of his first born.

With Beau reaching the stage where he’s exploring new foods, Warner has gained a fresh perspective on family dining.

“As a professional athlete, I’ve always been so keyed in and locked in on what I’m putting in my body,” he explained, adding,“But when you have a little baby boy, it goes to the next level. You not only want to make sure they’re eating for the sustenance of it, but they’re enjoying the experience as well.”

One unexpected discovery? Guacamole. “It’s been a game-changer, specifically WHOLLY Guacamole just because of how delicious it is.” Warner said, laughing. “It’s just been fun getting him to try different things.”

The perennial All-Pro has also made two Super Bowl appearances in the past five years. And while he hasn’t hoisted the Lombardi trophy yet, Warner is looking forward to watching his first Super Bowl with Beau.

“I’ll have my game-day spread ready—chips, WHOLLY Guacamole, veggies, wings, and pizza.”

Family is everything to Warner, and this weekend, Beau and Sydney will be by his side as he takes the field as a starter for the NFC in the Pro Bowl, coached by two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning. As he gears up for the all-star event in Orlando, Warner reflects on the importance of fueling his body for peak performance, how fatherhood has changed his approach to nutrition, and resisting decadent spreads at the Super Bowl.

It’s rare to hear that babies are into avocado. Where does your family’s love for avocado come from?

I’ve always loved avocados. I have a mother and grandmother who always had it around the house. For any parent—any new parent—you know how hard it is to try to get your kids to try new things, especially with the texture and the taste of things.

And so guacamole was almost like a hack to be able to feed him WHOLLY Guacamole and be able to be like, ‘Okay, I know he’s getting something healthy that he’s going to enjoy and love.’ And you can also put it on other little things that he can try. We want him to try different vegetables; broccoli, carrots, for example. You just dip it in the WHOLLY Guacamole, and boom, you pop it in his mouth. And all of a sudden he likes vegetables now, when he wouldn’t eat it just by itself.

So it’s these little things that you can use to incorporate it on the go or at home that just helps introduce him to different foods.

I love that. What are some other tips for parents trying to get their kids to eat new foods?

It’s honestly a daily grind. I’m going to be real. You just cannot give up. You have to be persistent, consistent, and just find the things that you not only want for your baby to enjoy, but that you enjoy yourself.

I’m always trying to find snacks that are obviously easy to pick up and bring on the go, but that are also not super greasy and that have real ingredients. I think WHOLLY has been amazing for not only myself, but obviously being able to give it to my child.

For parents it’s hard at the beginning to expose them to new things. Don’t give up. Just continue to try and stay at it because your baby is at the time where they’re growing, and they need these nutrients, and you’ve just got to stay consistent at it. That’s just how me and my wife have been. I’d definitely recommend any parent consult their pediatrician about allergy risks and dietary restrictions before feeding their kid avocados, but I know Beau loves them!

Are there any other foods Beau is into now or that you’re trying to introduce?

We love eggs in my family. And so I’m assuming [babies] are going to love eggs, too, because they’re pretty mushy in consistency. But for whatever reason, trying to feed my son scrambled eggs just wasn’t working at first. He was just immediately trying to spit them out.

And then you get frustrated as a parent. That’s the whole point of trying to be persistent. And, you know, we try different ways. And the thing that we’ve learned now is like trying to just do an over-easy egg, mash it up where it’s like still got the runniness of the egg yolk, and then feeding it to him with a side of WHOLLY Guacamole, of course. So it’s been a battle. But luckily now he’s starting to really get into the whole egg game that we’ve been trying to get him on.

As a professional athlete, you’re very conscious of what you eat. Do you stick to a strict clean diet, or do you indulge sometimes?

I try to keep it fairly clean. Of course, there’s going to be times where you might pull out the pizza [when you] pull out the win. Try to offset whatever bad things that you are possibly consuming. I just try to prioritize good ingredients that taste good and are convenient as well.

Depending on how the game went, I’m either going to be super hungry or not as hungry. I try to focus on just like the fibers, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, minerals like vitamin K, potassium, which is all packed in the superfoods like avocados.

But I never compromise on taste—it always has to taste good. You want something that’s going to taste delicious and is nutritious for you.

Now, you’ve been to a couple of Super Bowls. When you’re in a food city like New Orleans, do you get to indulge at all during Super Bowl week?

For Super Bowl week, it honestly is sticking to the plan. You’re so close to achieving that goal that you want. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to surpass that mountaintop and make it all the way across and hoist the trophy.

But just being a part of that week and what it all entails, you don’t want to leave any stone unturned, right? Because as soon as that week’s over and you did what you needed to do, you can go and eat whatever you want. And so that week is specifically for just staying dialed in and keeping it healthy so you can just go and play the best game of your life.

You’re headed to the Pro Bowl for the fourth time. Do you treat that like another Super Bowl, or is it more of a chill family event?

Very much so the latter. It’s more of a chill situation. No stakes on the line. Super Bowl, all the stakes are on the line. But of course, would I rather be in New Orleans playing in that game? Of course. But to sit there and say that I’m not humbled and grateful to be in the Pro Bowl amongst all the greats in this league? It’s an honor.