Can I Eat Cheese During Pregnancy?

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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When a woman becomes pregnant, she becomes really very conscious about what to eat or what to avoid. Pregnant women are more at risk. It is important to take special precautions in pregnancy because a minor mistake can lead to complications, miscarriage or even loss of baby at the time of birth.

Nine months of pregnancy are of much importance in a woman’s life and she has to face many challenges in her life. A number of changes occur in her body during pregnancy. Protein and calcium are essential for a pregnant lady and cheese is a tasty source of these so it is healthy to eat cheese in pregnancy. Cheese has become part of our daily food and is being used in many food items. But question arises in mind whether it is safe to eat cheese in pregnancy?

There are many different kinds of cheese available that lead to confusion as to what kind of cheese a lady should eat or avoid during pregnancy. To solve this confusion you need a pregnancy food guide. Your doctoc must suggest some pregnancy food guide so that you remain safe during pregnancy. While safety is better for everyone, it is especially significant for a pregnant woman.

As I told earlier that cheese is source of calcium and protein, you can definitely eat cheese in pregnancy. However, due to variety, some cheeses are not safe to eat because they grow bacteria like listeria in your gut that is harmful for you and your unborn baby. A woman should only eat the cheese that is processed and made from pasteurized milk.

Unpasteurized milk contains disease causing organisms that cause disease like listeriosis etc. It is estimated that about 20% pregnant women are more inclined to get this diseases. For confirming whether the soft cheese pasteurized or not, you must read label on cheese package. If it is made from unpasteurized milk you simply avoid it. If a label is not available on package then it will be definitely unpasteurized cheese so avoid it without taking risk.

Hard cheese is safe to eat in pregnancy and although it contains listeria in extremely low quantity, it is not considered to be a health risk to you and your baby. Hard cheese includes cheddar, edam, jarlsberg, parmesan, gouda, gruyere, emmental and stilton. They are safe to eat even if they are made with unpasteurized milk.

Some mould ripened soft cheeses and soft blue veined cheeses must be avoided during pregnancy because they contain higher level of listeria. Soft cheese includes brie, blue brie, cambozola, ricotta, taleggio, chaumes and feta etc. It is more prone to listeria because it is moist and less acidic so it is more likely to be involved in the growth of listeria that is harmful for unborn baby.

Soft and processed cheese can be eaten in pregnancy. Soft processed cheese includes herb roulade, cottage cheese, cream cheese, goat cheese without white rind, mozzarella and processed cheese like cheese spread and cheese segments etc.

Yogurt, soured cream, fromage fraise and crème fraiche are also safe to eat because they include natural flavors.

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