CAN YOU EAT GOATS CHEESE WHEN PREGNANT?
Can you eat goats cheese when pregnant?, Goat cheese and pregnancy.
You have all kinds of cheese, and there are also all kinds of goat cheese. Which can you eat during your pregnancy, and which not?
Goat cheese during your pregnancy
You can eat goat cheese during your pregnancy. However, a distinction is made between soft and hard goat cheeses. The hard version contains little moisture and is made from pasteurized milk, which makes it safe to eat when you are pregnant. The soft version, on the other hand, is not always reliable during pregnancy because it is sometimes made from raw milk.
Variants of goat cheese
Sometimes goat cheese is made from raw milk. In raw milk, the Listeria bacterium has a chance to grow. This bacterium can have harmful consequences for your pregnancy. In the worst case, it can lead to a miscarriage or stillborn baby. Although the Listeria bacterium was never found in goat cheese, it is nevertheless wise to avoid goat cheese made from raw milk.
Recognize safe goat cheese
It is therefore wise to check goat cheese before you eat it. You recognize goat cheese that you should not eat during your pregnancy because it says ‘au lait cru’ or ‘raw milk’ in the ingredients list. Do you buy this cheese at the cheese farmer? Just ask for certainty.
Eating goat cheese during pregnancy is useful because it is a source of dairy, your body absorbs these fats less quickly and is easier to digest than regular cheese.
Hard and soft goat cheese
There are different types of goat cheese: the hard and soft goat cheese. The hard version is made from pasteurized milk. That milk is short and well-heated to render bacteria harmless. Consider, for example, the listeria bacteria. This is a dangerous bacterium for your unborn baby that can have very nasty consequences in the event of an infection. The infection can lead to premature birth, a miscarriage, or the death of the baby before birth.
The soft goat cheese is not always safe to eat when you are pregnant, because this cheese is sometimes made from raw milk. The listeria bacteria can still grow in this milk, with all possible consequences. Raw milk cheeses are hardly produced in the Netherlands. They are, however, imported from other countries. Often these are cheeses that are not in factory packaging.
How do you see which goat cheese you can eat?
If you buy goat cheese in the supermarket, you can read on the package, whether it is safe for you to eat or not. If the packaging says ‘au lait cru’ or ‘raw milk,’ you cannot eat that cheese. Do you buy goat cheese at the market or a cheese farmer? Always ask which milk the cheese is prepared with.
What if you still eat goat cheese with raw milk?
If you accidentally ate a piece of goat cheese made from raw milk, then you don’t have to worry immediately. If you get a fever, have diarrhea or become nauseous, it is advisable to contact your doctor or midwife.
Cheese Fondue
Are there plans to enjoy cheese fondue? Then you can also eat with us. The cheese is heated, and the bacteria do not survive this. If you want to be sure you can buy the cheeses in a cheese shop and tell them that you are pregnant. The seller then chooses the cheeses prepared with pasteurized milk. You must omit the alcohol in cheese fondue. Apple juice also works great.
3 reasons to eat goat cheese
Three good reasons to eat pasteurized milk goat cheese during your pregnancy:
- It is a source of dairy. Suitable for the bones!
- Fat from goat cheese is slightly different than the fat from regular cheese. Fat from goat cheese is stored less quickly by your body;
- Goat cheese is more comfortable to digest than regular cheese. A good alternative for nausea or bloating!
Goat cheese is eaten during your pregnancy and insecure?
Some women are unaware of the fact that raw cheese can contain the listeria bacterium and so they may be infected with this bacterium. When you have eaten fresh cheese and think something is wrong, it is wise to contact your doctor or specialist to discuss this.
