Cheese can make any dish more intriguing, delicious, and enticing. However, it is often debatable whether or not you can eat cheese during pregnancy. It is recommended that you eat a range of foods, including cheese, when pregnant. Read this post to know about the safety of eating cheese during pregnancy, what kind of cheese you can eat, and how much of it you can consume while pregnant if you have a cheese craving.
Are You Craving For Cheese?
You have cravings for a reason. It can be a way for your body to tell you to have certain nutrients (1). A strong craving for cheese could indicate that your body needs more protein, calcium, vitamins, and minerals. Some old wives tales say that a strong urge to eat cheese indicates the sex of the baby. But they are just tales and have no scientific backing. Back to top
Is It Safe To Eat Cheese When Pregnant?
Yes, it is safe to have hard cheeses during pregnancy (2) as they contain listeria bacteria in negligible amounts. However, you need to stay away from soft cheeses, especially the mold-ripened and soft blue-veined varieties as the concentration of listeria is high in them. Listeria leads to listeriosis, and pregnant women are more vulnerable than normal individuals due to their weak immunity. Go for pasteurized varieties of cheeses as the process removes listeria. So, before you relish cheeses, you need to know about the types that are safe to eat, and the ones to avoid during pregnancy. Back to top
Safe And Unsafe Cheeses During Pregnancy
The below table lists the safe cheeses you can consume during pregnancy.
Safe Cheeses
1. Hard cheese
It has a firm texture and long maturation period. It is prepared from pasteurized milk or is cooked at high temperature; therefore, the presence of listeria is almost nil.
2. Soft processed cheese
Soft cheeses made from pasteurized milk are safe to eat during pregnancy. This cheese has a soft texture and can sometimes be watery and runny. While buying them, read the label to make sure it is pasteurized. Soft cheeses include:
Cottage cheese Garlic and herb roulade Goat cheese without white rind Cream cheese Mozzarella Mascarpone Quark Ricotta
3. Processed cheese
Made from modified natural cheeses, it has a homogeneous and flexible texture. The heating process makes processed cheese safe for pregnant women. However, it contains salt emulsifiers, stabilizers, and other additives; therefore limit them to small quantities. Processed cheese includes:
American cheese Velveeta Cheese whiz
As mentioned above, these cheese varieties are considered safe due to the absence of listeria.
Unsafe Cheeses
You need to avoid cheeses, which increase the risk of listeriosis during pregnancy.
1. Mold-ripened soft cheese
These cheeses are more likely to contain listeria:
Brie Blue brie Cambozola Camembert Chèvre
2. Blue-veined cheese
The cheese is soft and filled with moisture, providing an ideal environment for bacterial growth. The varieties include:
Bergader Bleu d’Auvergne Blue Wensleydale Shropshire blue Danish blue Dolcelatte Gorgonzola Roncal Roquefort Tome
3. Soft, unpasteurized cheese
Cheeses made from unpasteurized milk should be avoided. Some unpasteurized types include:
Chabichou Feta (goat cheese) Pyramide Torta del cesar cheeses
Cheese is mostly made from cow milk, but it is also made from other sources such as goat milk. Let’s see if it is safe to consume such varieties. Back to top
Is It Safe To Eat Goat Cheese While Pregnant?
Goat cheese is safe if the milk is pasteurized or the cheese is hard. However, there are some cheeses you must avoid. One such cheese is chevre, which is often served in restaurants and is widely used in cheese salads. The soft, mold-ripened cheese creates a ground for bacterial proliferation. It carries the bacteria called listeria monocytogenes (3). Why should a pregnant woman be so careful about avoiding cheese that has the risk of carrying listeria? Back to top
Listeriosis Risk
Eating contaminated or unpasteurized cheese could lead to listeriosis. You need to be careful while selecting the cheese because it is difficult to identify infected cheese as it lacks any distinct taste or smell. Pregnant women are ten times more likely to get infected by listeria than non-pregnant population. The condition is caused by listeria bacterium and results in mild, flu-like symptoms in adults but is more likely to harm the unborn baby (4). Listeriosis can put a pregnant woman at the risk of miscarriage, severe illness, stillbirth, premature birth or can lead to the death of the fetus (5). However, early detection and treatment of listeriosis using antibiotics may help prevent serious complications in the baby.
Tips To Prevent Listeriosis
It is true that cooking helps kill the listeria bacterium, but these bacteria are resilient. They can grow and survive in the refrigerator or freezer. Here are some tips to avoid getting listeriosis during pregnancy: Be careful of the cheese you consume during pregnancy. You can have cheese in limited quantities and only if it is pasteurized and/ or hard. Do not take a risk by eating soft cheese when pregnant as it can have an adverse effect on your baby. Wait for a few months until your pregnancy is over, and you can go back to your cheese days. Back to top Have you had a craving for cheese while pregnant? Share your experiences in the comment section below.
title: “Cheese During Pregnancy What To Eat What To Avoid” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-16” author: “Lorraine Salyers”
Cheese can make any dish more intriguing, delicious, and enticing. However, it is often debatable whether or not you can eat cheese during pregnancy. It is recommended that you eat a range of foods, including cheese, when pregnant. Read this post to know about the safety of eating cheese during pregnancy, what kind of cheese you can eat, and how much of it you can consume while pregnant if you have a cheese craving.
Are You Craving For Cheese?
You have cravings for a reason. It can be a way for your body to tell you to have certain nutrients (1). A strong craving for cheese could indicate that your body needs more protein, calcium, vitamins, and minerals. Some old wives tales say that a strong urge to eat cheese indicates the sex of the baby. But they are just tales and have no scientific backing. Back to top
Is It Safe To Eat Cheese When Pregnant?
Yes, it is safe to have hard cheeses during pregnancy (2) as they contain listeria bacteria in negligible amounts. However, you need to stay away from soft cheeses, especially the mold-ripened and soft blue-veined varieties as the concentration of listeria is high in them. Listeria leads to listeriosis, and pregnant women are more vulnerable than normal individuals due to their weak immunity. Go for pasteurized varieties of cheeses as the process removes listeria. So, before you relish cheeses, you need to know about the types that are safe to eat, and the ones to avoid during pregnancy. Back to top
Safe And Unsafe Cheeses During Pregnancy
The below table lists the safe cheeses you can consume during pregnancy.
Safe Cheeses
1. Hard cheese
It has a firm texture and long maturation period. It is prepared from pasteurized milk or is cooked at high temperature; therefore, the presence of listeria is almost nil.
2. Soft processed cheese
Soft cheeses made from pasteurized milk are safe to eat during pregnancy. This cheese has a soft texture and can sometimes be watery and runny. While buying them, read the label to make sure it is pasteurized. Soft cheeses include:
Cottage cheese Garlic and herb roulade Goat cheese without white rind Cream cheese Mozzarella Mascarpone Quark Ricotta
3. Processed cheese
Made from modified natural cheeses, it has a homogeneous and flexible texture. The heating process makes processed cheese safe for pregnant women. However, it contains salt emulsifiers, stabilizers, and other additives; therefore limit them to small quantities. Processed cheese includes:
American cheese Velveeta Cheese whiz
As mentioned above, these cheese varieties are considered safe due to the absence of listeria.
Unsafe Cheeses
You need to avoid cheeses, which increase the risk of listeriosis during pregnancy.
1. Mold-ripened soft cheese
These cheeses are more likely to contain listeria:
Brie Blue brie Cambozola Camembert Chèvre
2. Blue-veined cheese
The cheese is soft and filled with moisture, providing an ideal environment for bacterial growth. The varieties include:
Bergader Bleu d’Auvergne Blue Wensleydale Shropshire blue Danish blue Dolcelatte Gorgonzola Roncal Roquefort Tome
3. Soft, unpasteurized cheese
Cheeses made from unpasteurized milk should be avoided. Some unpasteurized types include:
Chabichou Feta (goat cheese) Pyramide Torta del cesar cheeses
Cheese is mostly made from cow milk, but it is also made from other sources such as goat milk. Let’s see if it is safe to consume such varieties. Back to top
Is It Safe To Eat Goat Cheese While Pregnant?
Goat cheese is safe if the milk is pasteurized or the cheese is hard. However, there are some cheeses you must avoid. One such cheese is chevre, which is often served in restaurants and is widely used in cheese salads. The soft, mold-ripened cheese creates a ground for bacterial proliferation. It carries the bacteria called listeria monocytogenes (3). Why should a pregnant woman be so careful about avoiding cheese that has the risk of carrying listeria? Back to top
Listeriosis Risk
Eating contaminated or unpasteurized cheese could lead to listeriosis. You need to be careful while selecting the cheese because it is difficult to identify infected cheese as it lacks any distinct taste or smell. Pregnant women are ten times more likely to get infected by listeria than non-pregnant population. The condition is caused by listeria bacterium and results in mild, flu-like symptoms in adults but is more likely to harm the unborn baby (4). Listeriosis can put a pregnant woman at the risk of miscarriage, severe illness, stillbirth, premature birth or can lead to the death of the fetus (5). However, early detection and treatment of listeriosis using antibiotics may help prevent serious complications in the baby.
Tips To Prevent Listeriosis
It is true that cooking helps kill the listeria bacterium, but these bacteria are resilient. They can grow and survive in the refrigerator or freezer. Here are some tips to avoid getting listeriosis during pregnancy: Be careful of the cheese you consume during pregnancy. You can have cheese in limited quantities and only if it is pasteurized and/ or hard. Do not take a risk by eating soft cheese when pregnant as it can have an adverse effect on your baby. Wait for a few months until your pregnancy is over, and you can go back to your cheese days. Back to top Have you had a craving for cheese while pregnant? Share your experiences in the comment section below.
