Pregnant and you want to eat cheese but don’t know which ones are safe for you? Which form of cheese in pregnancy is safe and which is unsafe has been listed below for your reference.
What kind of cheese is safe during pregnancy?
- All forms of hard cheeses such as Cheddar, Stilton, and parmesan are very safe.
- Soft pasteurised cheese such as cottage cheese, mozzarella, feta, cream cheese, paneer, ricotta, without a white coating on the outside (rind) and processed cheese spreads are also safe.
- Soft unpasteurised cheeses, soft cheeses with a white coating on the outside, and soft blue cheeses are safe as long as they are cooked and steaming hot. They have moisture on them and therefore bacteria can grow easily. It is best consumed only when cooked very well.
- Pasteurised milk, yoghurt, cream and ice cream are safe too.
What kind of cheese should I avoid during pregnancy?
- One must avoid mold-ripened soft cheeses with a white coating on the outside, such as brie, Camembert and chevre and soft blue cheeses such as Danish blue, Gorgonzola and Roquefort.
- If one has to consume them then one should ensure that they are cooked very well.
- Unpasteurised milk and milk products are best avoided as they contain a bacteria called listeria and this can cause infections in pregnancy.
