Pregnant Cheese Lovers!
Expecting the birth of a child? You may have started to make lifestyle changes, even when it comes to your diet. It is important to be well informed about dietary needs and the needs of your growing baby. The good news is that cheese is your allies when it comes to insuring that you have the right quantity of calcium necessary for the development of your baby.
Cheese of choice for a healthy pregnancy.
During your pregnancy, your nutrient requirements, particularly those of iron, folates, iodine and calcium increase. During the last trimester of the pregnancy the growing skeleton of the fetus requires much of your daily intake of those minerals. From the 6th month of pregnancy, the requirements for phosphorus and calcium increase clearly: the recommended calcium intake is of 1000 mg/day, instead of 900 mg/day. It is important to consume 3 dairy products each day, including 30g (1 oz) of cheese which contributes to calcium intake.
Prevent listeriosis
Nevertheless, the expectant mother cannot eat all types of foods, because of the risks of listeriosis. This serious, yet rare disease (approximately 50 cases in France and 500 in US per annum) can attack the growing fetus. The responsible bacterium, the listeria, is likely to develop in little or un-cooked products, such as: burgers, pork-butcheries, frozen produce, sushi, shellfish, smoked fish and some soft raw milk cheeses. One should not be alarmed, because there are plenty of healthy and safe choices for the cheese lover.
Some examples of Cheeses to enjoy freely*:
Firm and Hard cheese: Parmigiano-Reggiano, Comté, Ossau Iraty, Manchego, Gruyère, Uplands Reserve, Vermont Tarentaise, Vermont Shepherd, Appenzeller, Zamorano, Tete de Moine, Beaufort, Sbrinz…
Cheese spread: La vache qui rit, Alouette, Philadelphia, Fresh goat log…
Blue cheese: Roquefort, Fourme d’Ambert, Gorgonzola, Crater Lake Blue, Bleu d’Auvergne, Bleu des Basques, Bleu de Laqueuille, Classic Blue log (goat), Stilton, La Peral …
Chèvre: Selles-sur-Cher, Sainte-Maure, Crottin, Catskill, Liberty Cream, Chabichou, Goat Gouda …
Soft bloomy: Camembert, Brie, Fromage de Meaux, Brillat Savarin, Chaource, Hudson Valley Camembert…
* Of course, this list is not exhaustive
Tips for the mother to be:
Listeria bacteria’s are sensitive to heat: destroyed at a temperature of 72°C (162° F). So feel free to cook with cheese (in tarts, quiches, gratins…).
Make sure to consume any dish quickly: do not leave food uncovered or for more than a few days in the refrigerator.
Since the Listeria bacteria develop more readily in the cheese rinds, (although it is extremely rare) it is better to be cautious with the crust of cheese and not eat it.
During your pregnancy, enjoying a healthy diet, including cheese and yogurt, will help your baby’s development and keep the cheese lover in you happy!
Denis Cottin
Fromager, Affineur
This blog was realized with the collaboration of Denis’ daughter Melanie Cottin-Karowich and the witness appreciation of his grandchildren Kile, Kipp, Kate, Mimi and Lara.
Back Row: Kipp, Denis, Kile
Front Row: Mimi, Melanie, Jeff, Kate (Lara on the way)
January 21st, 2010 at 12:43 am
I don’t agree with the above post. Soft, washed rind and blue cheeses should all be avoided whether they are pasteurised or NOT. These types of cheese are susceptible to post-pasteurisation contamination, or if the pasteurisation process was faulty.
Hard cheeses, whether pasteurised or not, have been shown to be safe as they are an inhospitable environment for bacteria to grow.
You mention that listeria can survive in some raw milk soft cheeses - wouldn’t it make sense to identify these? (despite the fact that they are unavailable in the US).
Regards,
Laurie
February 24th, 2010 at 6:27 am
Yes, standard advice, over here in the UK at least, is to avoid blue, bloom-ripened (which is what I assume Laurie means by ’soft’, e.g. Brie, Camembert) or washed-rind cheeses, regardless of pasteurisation.
Whether or not hard raw-milk cheeses are ok still seems up for debate. Logic dictates that, as Laurie says, they should be safe as bacteria cannot grow inside the cheese. Nonetheless, I work in a cheesemongers and we are still required to advise customers to stick with pasteurised milk cheeses. Of course, it’s only advice at the end of the day, but we can’t say ‘it’s almost certainly safe’, even if it is…
In addition to that, I’d note that while some of the cheeses you’ve listed above will be pasteurised in North America in order to get through your import laws, many of those same cheeses can be sold unpasteurised in Europe, particularly if they are from artisan cheesemakers rather than mass-produced supermarket varieties.
Your best bet if unsure what’s what is simply to ask when you buy. Most specialist cheesemongers or quality food shops should be able to advise you.
Cheers!
Damian