Of course you can eat cheese during pregnancy, but you should be aware of some things and some types of cheese are taboo. Whether you can eat Parmesan cheese during pregnancy, for example, and what you should watch out for when eating various types of cheese, you can find out here.
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Caution With Raw Milk Cheese During Pregnancy
You’d better avoid cheeses made from raw milk now. Raw milk can contain the bacteria listeria, which can cause dangerous infections in your unborn child. However, long ripening times or heat in the production of cheese can kill the dangerous listeria.
Parmesan Cheese In Pregnancy: Yes Or No?
Pregnant women often ask themselves whether Parmesan cheese can be eaten during pregnancy. Although Parmesan belongs to a raw milk cheese, it no longer poses a risk due to the long. However, due to the long ripening period, it no longer poses a risk of containing listeria.
You can therefore eat Parmesan cheese with a clear conscience during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Which Types Of Cheese Are Allowed During Pregnancy?
During pregnancy you can consume cheeses with a long ripening period. In addition, foods made from heated or pasteurized milk are safe, because the listeria has been killed due to the high temperature up to 100 ° C. You may therefore eat much milk to consume cheeses during pregnancy.
Example:
- Hard cheese.
Such as Emmental, Mountain cheese and Parmesan.
The hard cheeses made from raw milk products are an exception. Due to the long storage period, the water content and pH value is so low and the salt content so high that germs such as listeria cannot survive in them.
- Semi-hard and soft cheeses (pasteurized milk).
Such as Gouda, butter cheese, Leerdammer, Tilsiter, Edam, Cheddar, Brie, Camembert.
- Cooking cheese, processed cheese.
- Baked camembert, Oven cheese, Cheese fondue, Raclette.
- Industrially packed/manufactured fresh cheese or pickled cheese.
Such as feta, sheep’s cheese, cottage cheese, mascarpone, ricotta and other fresh cheeses, mozzarella.
Make sure, however, that you generously cut off the rind of the cheese to be on the safe side, as these contain particularly many bacteria. Or buy a slice of cheese without the rind.
What Types Of Cheese Should Be Avoided During Pregnancy?
Pregnancy and raw milk products are not a good Combination, because in the production of raw milk cheese, the milk is heated to a maximum of 40°C at the most. Some germs such as listeria survive this temperature and multiply. During pregnancy or breastfeeding, you should therefore avoid all soft, unpasteurized cheeses.
Example:
- Semi-soft and soft cheeses (from Raw milk).
Such as Camembert, Brie, Roquefort.
- Blue cheese.
such as Gorgonzola, Romano or Roquefort.
- Soft cheese with red smear.
Such as Limburger, Münster, Romadur.
- Sour milk cheese.
Like Harzer Rolle, Handkäse, Mainzer Käse, Olmützer Quargel, Spitzkäse, Korbkäse.
- Prefabricated grated cheese.
- Pickled cheese or fresh cheese from open containers.
Such as feta, sheep’s cheese, mozzarella.
Consumption of such cheeses during pregnancy can lead to infections, which can be accompanied by dangerous complications.
Tips For Cheese Consumption During Pregnancy
During pregnancy, be sure to remove the rind from any type of cheese, including pasteurized milk. This can be colonized by listeria bacteria that can cross the placental barrier and infect your unborn child. This could have life-threatening consequences.
In addition, as a pregnant woman, you should avoid pickled cheese or fresh cheese from open sales. This is because germs can easily multiply due to open storage. The same also applies to mozzarella. Although it is usually made from pasteurized milk, germs are milk, but during processing temperatures of up to 65°C are used temperatures up to 65°C.
Pregnancy And Cheese: Shopping Tips
It is recommended to buy cheese in fresh and small quantities and not to leave it for a long time. If you want to be safe when buying cheese, you should look for the packaging label ‘made from raw milk’ or ‘not pasteurized’.
You can also get advice from a specialized seller when buying cheese during pregnancy.
Sources
https://www.netdoktor.de/schwangerschaft/welchen-kaese-in-der-schwangerschaft/
