Eva Longoria shares her secrets to raising an adventurous eater

Sophie Collins

Eva Longoria recently shared insights into her approach to parenting and food

She revealed how she encourages her six-year-old son Santiago to embrace a variety of flavours, despite being so young.

She has documented their journey in her new cookbook, My Mexican Kitchen: 100 Recipes Rich with Tradition, Flavor, and Spice.

In an exclusive interview with DailyMail, Longoria spoke about how her passion for food and her hands-on approach in the kitchen have made her son an enthusiastic and adventurous eater.

“He’s a really good eater,” she said proudly. Rather than dealing with picky eating, Longoria has intentionally taught Santiago to have an interest in different foods by involving him in meal prep from an early age.

One of Longoria’s key parenting strategies has been exposing Santiago to a wide variety of foods.

She explained: “From an early age, I’ve had him in the kitchen cooking with me.”

This approach has encouraged Santiago to try new foods without hesitation. According to Longoria: “When he participates, he’s more likely to eat it.”

Thanks to this early exposure, Santiago’s palate is so well-rounded that most of the time he skips the kids’ menu in favour of more complicated dishes.

“The other day we were at a restaurant, and he goes, ‘Excuse me, you don’t have salmon?’” Longoria laughed. “My friend was shocked. She was like, ‘Did he just order salmon?’”

Longoria said she thinks that Santiago’s adventurous palate is a direct result of her dedication to expanding his tastes from a young age.

“I’ve tried to expand his palate since he was really young,” she said, saying that their frequent travel has helped him become comfortable with new and diverse flavours.

Some of his favourite foods include chuletas fritas – Puerto Rican-style fried pork chops – and churros, showing just how much he shares his mom’s love for hearty, flavourful food.

“He really loves and enjoys food like I do,” she said, adding that he’s far from a fussy eater.

“My son loves making tortillas,” she shared, before adding that Santiago’s influence even extends to her cookbook.

However, Longoria reassures other parents that her son isn’t completely immune to the temptations of sweets.

“He loves his candy, so it’s not like he’s a saint,” she quipped.

Speaking about her latest project, she went on to say: “This cookbook is a reflection of that time, going through that entire country, going back to my roots. I was like, ‘I’ve got to document all this.’”