Can you eat hard cheese when pregnant

Eating well in pregnancy | Ready Steady Baby!

Eating a diet of different groups of foods is the best way for you to stay healthy, and help your baby grow and develop.

Importance of eating well in pregnancy

Having a good diet and being active will:

increase your chances of becoming pregnant
improve the likelihood of having a healthy baby
reduce the risk of complications
make your recovery and healing easier after the birth

Sometimes cost can be a barrier to eating healthily. The Scottish Government has a range of support available to help people with the cost of living.

Read more about the support to available to help with the cost of living

What eating well means

Eating well means:

eating more healthy foods containing folic acid, iron and iodine
limiting intake of high fat and high sugar foods
taking vitamin supplements containing vitamin D
drinking lots of fluids but only small amounts of caffeine
not drinking alcohol at all
taking care how you prepare and store food

How to eat a healthy balanced diet

Best start foods

As well as your free vitamins, you could be eligible for a Best Start Foods payment card to help you buy some food basics, including milk and fruit and vegetables.

More about Best Start Foods

Dieting

Dieting to lose weight in pregnancy isn't recommended, even if you're overweight to begin with.

Some weight gain in pregnancy is normal and includes the weight of your baby, the placenta and amniotic fluid.

Cravings

Some foods taste different as your sense of taste can change when you’re pregnant. This is caused by hormonal changes in your body.

You might find you can’t eat foods you used to enjoy or crave them if they start to taste better. If you're craving high-fat or high-sugar foods, try to limit them and eat regular balanced meals and healthy snacks instead.

Food to avoid

To reduce the chance of harming yourself or your baby, you should avoid certain foods.

Some dairy

You should avoid eating:

unpasteurised semi-hard and soft cheeses (unless cooked until steaming hot)
all mould-ripened soft cheeses with a white coating on the outside, such as brie, camembert and chèvre (unless cooked until steaming hot)
soft blue cheeses such as Danish Blue, Gorgonzola and Roquefort (unless cooked until steaming hot)
any unpasteurised cow’s, goat’s or sheep’s milk or cream

Liver and pâté

Liver and liver products such as pâté or liver sausage can have large amounts of vitamin A. This can be harmful for your baby. All types of pâté, including vegetable versions, can have listeria in them. It’s best to avoid them.

Some fish

Do not eat swordfish, marlin, shark or raw shellfish.

Do not eat smoked fish products, including smoked salmon and smoked trout, unless thoroughly cooked as they can present a risk of Listeria. This includes in sushi.

Some meats

You should not eat game meat, such as hare, partridge or pheasant due to the presence of lead. You should also not eat raw or rare meat as this can cause food poisoning.

Always make sure any meat you eat is well cooked and steaming hot all the way through. You should not be able to see any pink meat and the juices should run clear.

Too much oily fish or tuna

Try not to have more than two portions of oily fish a week. Oily fish includes mackerel, sardines and trout.

Tuna is not classed as an oily fish, but do not eat more than two tuna steaks (about 140g cooked or 170g when raw) or four medium-size cans of tuna (about 140g when drained) per week.

Sprouted seeds

These need to be cooked well until they are hot throughout to make sure they do not make you ill.

Unwashed fruit and vegetables

Be careful with fruits, vegetables and salads as they can have soil on them, which can make you unwell. Make sure to thoroughly wash all fruits, vegetables and salad ingredients.

Safe foods

During pregnancy it's safe to eat:

cooked fish
sushi, but only if the fish has been cooked thoroughly
seafood/shellfish as long as it has been cooked, for example mussels, lobster, crab, oysters, scallops, clams and cold, pre-cooked prawns
Peanuts and other nuts (unless you're allergic) - eating nuts when pregnant will not affect whether or not your baby has a peanut allergy
spicy food - there's no reason to avoid spicy foods
honey - it's ok for you to eat honey, but you should not give it to your baby until they're over a year old

Dairy foods

You're safe to eat some milk and dairy foods, including:

All hard cheeses, such as cheddar, Parmesan or Gruyere
Pasteurised semi-hard and soft cheeses, such as cottage cheese, mozzarella, feta, paneer, ricotta, halloumi, cream cheese, cheese spreads, or goat's cheese without a white coating on the outside (rind)
Any cheese that has been thoroughly cooked until steaming hot
Pasteurised milk and yoghurt

Pasteurised cream and ice cream are safe, but are not considered 'dairy' by The Eatwell Guide and have high sugar and fat content.

Eggs

You can eat runny or even raw eggs as long as they are pasteurised, or have the British Lion Code mark on them, or are Laid in Britain (LIB) eggs.

Foods made with these eggs are also safe to eat. This includes:

mayonnaise
ice cream
salad dressing
mousse

Make sure that duck, goose and quail eggs are thoroughly cooked.

If you’re eating out and not sure if they use British Lion Code or Laid in Britain eggs, ask the staff to find out for you.

Healthy drinks

Aim to have 6 to 8 200ml glasses of water or other fluids every day, and:

try different kinds of drinks, such as sugar-free squash, decaf tea and coffee, fizzy water, fruit juice or smoothies
limit fruit juice or smoothies to 150 ml per day with meals to help to prevent damage to your teeth

Decaffeinated coffee and tea are safe to drink during pregnancy.

Do not drink alcohol during pregnancy.

Water

Drink plenty of water when you’re pregnant to keep hydrated and stop you getting constipated, especially in your last 3 months.

You should boil water before you drink it if you get your drinking water from a private supply, such as a well, borehole or spring. The quality of water from private supplies can vary a lot and when it’s poor it can cause health problems.

Herbal drinks

During pregnancy you should:

have no more than 4 cups of herbal or green tea a day as there isn't enough evidence about their effect on developing babies
avoid teas that contain ginseng or echinacea as doctors aren’t sure what effects they might have when you’re pregnant or breastfeeding

Talk to your midwife if you’re unsure about using any herbal products.

Caffeine

Caffeine's found naturally in chocolate, coffee and tea (including green tea). It’s also added to some:

soft drinks
energy drinks
cold and flu remedies

Having too much caffeine when you’re pregnant can:

increase your risk of miscarriage
affect how your baby grows
cause your baby to be small and underweight - this can lead to health problems later in life

If you have too much caffeine, your baby can start to withdraw from it when they're born. This makes them irritable.

How much caffeine's safe?

While you’re pregnant it’s important to have no more than 200mg of caffeine a day.

Food or drink	Amount of caffeine (mg)
Mug of instant coffee	100 mg
Mug of filter coffee	140 mg
Mug of tea	75 mg
330 ml can of cola	40 mg
250 ml can of energy drink	80 mg (larger cans may have up to 160 mg)
50 g bar of plain chocolate	less than 25 mg
50 g bar of milk chocolate	less than 10 mg

Further information, other languages and alternative formats

Translations and alternative formats of this information are available from Public Health Scotland.

Cheese and pregnancy: Cheese to avoid when pregnant

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Most cheese is fine to eat during pregnancy. Hard cheeses like cheddar and Parmesan and soft pasteurized cheeses are safe (and delicious) to eat in moderation. Nearly all cheeses made in the United States are pasteurized by default, but you may run into unpasteurized cheese at a farmer's market or if you buy imported cheese at the grocery store. Avoid unpasteurized soft cheese during pregnancy because it may contain listeria, a type of bacteria that can lead to listeriosis. This infection is rare but particularly dangerous for pregnant women.

Photo credit: iStock.com / AlexPro9500

Once nausea recedes in the second trimester and your appetite begins to pick up, you might be dismayed at the long list of foods you can't eat during pregnancy. One food that gets an especially bad rap but shouldn't: cheese.

The reality is, most – but not all – cheese sold in the U.S. is perfectly fine to eat during pregnancy. Here's what you need to know to stay safe.

Can pregnant women eat cheese?

Yes! Pregnant women can eat hard cheese as well as soft cheese clearly labeled as "pasteurized." Pasteurization involves heating milk to a specific temperature to kill potentially dangerous bacteria. In fact, pasteurized cheese is a good source of calcium and protein, which promote strong bones and healthy growth in your baby.

Just try not to overdo it, since cheese is also high in sodium and saturated fat. One portion of cheese is 1 ½ ounces (roughly the size of your thumb). The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that women aim for a total of three servings of (ideally low-fat) dairy per day, which in addition to cheese includes milk and yogurt.

Which cheese is best when pregnant?

Hard cheese (such as cheddar or Parmesan) is your safest choice during pregnancy. Hard cheese contains less moisture than soft cheese, which slashes the odds that potentially dangerous bacteria will grow even if it is made from unpasteurized milk.

Pasteurized cheese during pregnancy is another safe bet. Nearly all cheeses made in the United States are pasteurized by default, but you may run into unpasteurized cheese at a farmer's market or if you buy imported cheese at the grocery store. That means most soft cheeses are also safe to eat during pregnancy, as long as the label specifies that they're made with "pasteurized" milk.

The following soft commercial cheeses are generally always made with pasteurized milk and considered safe:

cream cheese
cottage cheese
processed mozzarella

These common soft cheeses are sometimes raw, so look for the "pasteurized" label on:

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goat cheese
blue cheese
feta cheese
camembert
brie
ricotta cheese

If you're at a restaurant and can't check the label, know that it's safe to eat any cheese that's been heated until it's steaming hot – for instance, cheese on a pizza or in a grilled-cheese sandwich.

Cheese to avoid when pregnant

When you're pregnant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends avoiding unpasteurized soft cheese, raw milk, unpasteurized yogurt, and unpasteurized ice cream. That's because these products may rarely contain the bacteria listeria, which can cause listeriosis. Pregnant people are 10 times more likely to get listeriosis than the general population. This infection can be passed on to an unborn baby and cause miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm labor, or death in newborns.

Pasteurized cheese can still become contaminated with listeria if it's produced in a facility with unsanitary conditions. If you want to be extra careful, you may want to avoid Hispanic cheeses, even if they're pasteurized, since they have been linked to listeriosis outbreaks in the U.S. Examples of Hispanic cheeses you may want to avoid include:

queso fresco
queso blanco
queso blando
queso cotija
queso panela
queso ranchero
cuajada en terrón

Bottom line: Hard cheeses and pasteurized soft cheeses are safe (even healthy!) to eat in moderation during pregnancy. If you're unsure whether a soft cheese is pasteurized, and it's not steaming hot, skip it.

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Colleen de Bellefonds

Colleen de Bellefonds is a freelance health and lifestyle journalist. She's raising her toddler daughter and newborn son with her French husband in Paris.

My pregnancy week by week

weeks pregnant

Is it possible to eat cheese during pregnancy?

Cheese is a tasty and healthy product, beloved by many. That is why the statement of some doctors that any cheese is strictly forbidden to women during pregnancy can really spoil the mood. However, you should not despair - if you dig deeper, it turns out that everything is not so categorical. Below we will understand what are the benefits and harms of cheeses for pregnant women.

Which cheeses should be avoided during pregnancy

Despite all its usefulness and the abundance of microelements and vitamins in its composition, some types of cheese can sometimes cause irreparable harm to a woman and her unborn baby. These are unpasteurized cheeses, which may contain Listeria monocyotogenes, the bacterium that causes listeriosis. Acute infectious disease is severe and is accompanied by chills, high fever, muscle pain, nausea and vomiting. Such a severe clinical picture can lead to a miscarriage or the development of severe pathologies in the fetus - given this, it is necessary to be extremely selective in choosing cheeses during childbearing.

The infectious bacterium lives in unpasteurized cheeses made from sheep's and goat's milk that have not undergone heat treatment. We are talking about soft types of cheese and varieties with mold: dor blue, brie, camembert, cambonzola, etc. Also at risk are cheeses with blue mold: Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Savoy cheese. Such products contain a lot of liquid and little acid, which is the most favorable environment for the development of Listeria monocyotogenes.

Why mold is harmful when carrying a child

In addition to the risk of getting sick with listeriosis, eating delicious marbled cheeses, you run the risk of experiencing all the delights of the impact on the body of "noble" mold. So, valuable blue mold, which gives cheeses such a refined taste, endows the product with a number of side qualities. Being a pure antibiotic, mold kills the beneficial microflora that inhabits the body, which can cause intestinal dysbacteriosis and disrupt the digestive tract.

An imbalance of water and lactic acid in moldy foods can lead to the growth of fungus in the body, which is also highly undesirable for a pregnant woman who is already in a vulnerable state. Given the foregoing, doctors strongly recommend abandoning "live" cheeses for the period of bearing a child.

Which cheeses are safe for pregnant women? Under the influence of high temperature and careful processing, pathogenic bacteria die, making the cheese not only tasty, but also safe. Such cheeses include: gouda, maasdam, parmesan, cheddar, Poshekhonsky, etc. - all of them will not harm a pregnant woman, since the environment favorable for the life of bacteria is destroyed during high temperature processing. Eating hard cheeses, you will get the whole range of nutrients, saturate the body with calcium and, in addition, diversify your diet with a delicious product.

There is also good news for lovers of soft cheeses: there are varieties that pregnant women can safely include in their diet. These include delicious varieties such as feta, philadelphia, mascarpone, cottage cheese, goat cheese without rind (pasteurized), processed cheeses, etc. The technology for the production of such cheeses involves heat treatment, during which bacteria die. With soft cheeses, you can create various dishes, including delicious and healthy desserts - what could be better for a pregnant woman!

When to start eating moldy soft cheeses

Once your baby is born and the breastfeeding period is over, you can enjoy the full range of cheeses, including the gourmet blue mold varieties. Soft cheeses from Zhukovka are rightfully considered one of the best. Accurate adherence to production technology, verified to the gram of the recipe - all this allows you to make truly gourmet cheeses. By the way, the manufacturer's assortment also includes pasteurized soft varieties, for example, classic feta cheese, which is safe for women in an interesting position.

the whole truth about the fermented milk product

Pregnant women try to monitor their diet and include healthy foods containing various vitamins and trace elements in their diet. Cheese is one such product. However, future mothers do not even realize that some types of cheese should not be eaten during pregnancy.

legion-media

Fermented milk products, which include cheese, are a source of calcium and protein, which is so necessary for mother and child during pregnancy. However, you need to be careful with some types of cheese.

Contents of the article

Do not self-medicate! In our articles, we collect the latest scientific data and the opinions of authoritative health experts. But remember: only a doctor can diagnose and prescribe treatment.

Can pregnant women eat cheese?

Most cheeses can be eaten during pregnancy. Hard cheeses such as cheddar and parmesan, as well as soft pasteurized cheeses, are safe in moderation.

Pasteurization is the heating of milk to a certain temperature to kill potentially harmful bacteria.

Cheese is a good source of calcium and protein, which strengthen bones and promote healthy growth of the baby in the womb.

A slice of cheese, along with whole grain crackers (or other complex carbohydrates), can help eliminate nausea, increase energy levels and mood, avoid headaches, and improve sleep.

However, you need to know the measure. Because cheese is also high in sodium and saturated fat. One serving of cheese should be 100 grams - about the size of a thumb.

Doctors recommend that pregnant women eat a total of three servings of dairy products per day, preferably low fat, which include milk, yogurt, cottage cheese in addition to cheese.

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Benefits of cheese for pregnant women

Each type of cheese has its own unique composition. Different varieties of this fermented milk product differ in the percentage of fat content and the content of nutrients.

Useful qualities common to most types of cheese:

high protein content, which is an integral part of blood, lymph, and also participates in the formation of embryonic tissues;
the ability to increase appetite, which is especially important in cases of toxicosis in pregnant women;
saturation with B vitamins, which are responsible for the proper growth of the fetus, improve metabolic processes, increase the energy reserves of the body;
high content of calcium, which strengthens bones, improves the condition of the skin, nails and hair;
low lactose, which is not well tolerated by many people;
beneficial effect on brain activity;
the ability to normalize blood pressure and have a sedative effect.

Cheeses such as Poshekhonsky and Hollandsky have a high energy value, so they are best consumed during breakfast.

Cheese made from yak milk contains folic acid, the most important element in the formation of all systems and organs of the baby, which reduces the risk of neural tube defects.

Adyghe cheese has a low fat content, so it is often recommended for pregnant women who are prone to gaining excess weight.

Fatty varieties can be included in the menu during pregnancy, but they have a low content of vitamins E and D. These vitamins are very important for the proper development of the baby in the womb, they are involved in the formation of his skeletal system, prevent the development of intrauterine anomalies, and also reduce the risk of premature births and miscarriages.

Which cheese is best for pregnancy?

1. Hard cheeses such as cheddar, Russian, parmesan, maasdam, gouda, edam, and cheddar are the safest choice during pregnancy.

Hard cheese contains less moisture than soft cheese, making it less likely to grow potentially harmful bacteria, even if made from unpasteurized milk.

2. Pasteurized soft cheese during pregnancy is another win-win option.

Almost all cheeses sold in the retail chain are pasteurized by default. You can come across unpasteurized cheese at the farmers' market or buy imported cheese at the grocery store.

During pregnancy, it is better to buy cheeses with labels that are produced in factories inspected by Rospotrebnadzor.

Safe soft cheeses (if pasteurized) are: creamy, cottage cheese, feta, Adyghe, mascarpone and philadelphia.

3. It is safe to eat any cheese that has been heated to steam, such as on pizza. Since Listeria grows at low temperatures, and dies at high temperatures.

Cheese to avoid during pregnancy

It is recommended to avoid unpasteurized soft cheese during pregnancy. This product may contain listeria bacteria, which cause listeriosis, a dangerous disease for pregnant women.

When Listeria penetrates the placenta into the amniotic fluid, the embryo becomes infected. His death can occur both in the womb and immediately after birth.

The mother, being a carrier of the disease, can infect the baby during childbirth. Among the signs of the disease that can occur in a woman, nausea, chills, and muscle pain can be distinguished.

Most often, Listeria is found in soft varieties and gourmet favorite blue cheeses. To protect herself and her baby from this dangerous bacterium, a woman should not include cheese products made from milk that has not undergone pasteurization in her diet.

Pregnant women are 10 times more likely to develop listeriosis than the general population. This infection can be transmitted to the unborn child and cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth, or death of the newborn.

The following types of cheese should be avoided by the expectant mother: