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Can You Eat Blue Cheese When Pregnant?

Even though cravings during pregnancy are the most uncontrolled feelings a person can experience, you should be aware that it is always preferable to consult a doctor before eating certain meals. Blue cheese is one of the things that pregnant women doubt eating!

Can you eat blue cheese when pregnant? That’s a pretty common and popular question amongst many mothers-to-be! I’ll fill you in on all the details you require to understand this delicate subject!

Without further ado, let me tell you if eating blue cheese while pregnant is safe!

Main Points

  • Blue cheese falls in the category of soft cheese types, and you should avoid it as much as you can!
  • The main reason to avoid blue cheese stands on the fact that it owns unpasteurized milk!
  • Penicillium Roqueforti is a type of fungus that is used in the making of blue cheese. 
  • Other cheeses to avoid include every type of cheese that takes part in the same group as blue cheese: soft cheeses. 
  • If you love cheese and cannot decide which ones are safe during pregnancy, go for the hard cheeses!

Can You Eat Blue Cheese When Pregnant?

Blue cheese is not recommended to eat while pregnant due to the fact that it is made from unpasteurized milk and it also consists of Penicillium Roqueforti within.

What is Blue Cheese exactly?

Blue cheese is a type of cheese that includes a super-sharp flavor and it owns a lot of salt within. It is a cheese that is made of unpasteurized/raw milk. Blue cheese is known as a semi-soft type of cheese, so it doesn’t belong in the same group as all the cheeses you have already seen and tried.  

Why Is Blue Cheese Not Appropriate To Eat While Pregnant?

Now you know that blue cheese isn’t the best thing to eat during pregnancy, but still, it is crucial to mention to you the reasons why you shouldn’t eat it!

There are a few things and considerations that you should have regarding blue cheese in general, and these are the reasons why you shouldn’t eat blue cheese when pregnant:

Milk

As said above, blue cheese is made of unpasteurized milk, and it is the main reason why you should avoid it when you are pregnant!

Unpasteurized milk, otherwise known as raw milk, means that there are bacteria and gems. Pregnant ladies do not need bacteria, right? There are a few bacteria that can be found in raw milk and they include listeria, e.coli, salmonella, and many others.

However, listeria is one of the main gems that are found in unpasteurized milk, and it can conclude to very serious illnesses for both the mother and the child.

Raw milk isn’t only dangerous for pregnant women, it also can do a lot of effects on children, older people, and people who have a very weak immune system.

Pasteurization – the process of heating milk at a very high temperature, to kill everything unnecessary that is found in there, like gems.

Salt

Blue cheese is a very salty type of cheese, and of course, you may know that too much salt is never something great that pregnant women need. Too much salt is always an indicator of serious illnesses like high blood pressure, kidney issues (diseases and stones), and strokes as well.

When you are pregnant, it is vital to avoid salt as much as you can!

Penicillium Roqueforti

Something else that is crucial to mention is the fact that blue cheese includes Penicillium Roqueforti within! It is a type of fungus that is used in many meals.

However, Penicillium Roqueforti is a type of fungus that has a lot of toxic compounds in its inner parts, and it releases various toxins into a human’s body, especially in pregnant women. Penicillium Roqueforti is a very dangerous fungus that can cause different diseases in the mother and in the infant as well.

What Other Cheese Should a Pregnant Woman Avoid?

Blue cheese is dangerous and now you know that! Yet again, there are various types of cheese that one can find, and some of them are dangerous to pregnant women, just like blue cheese.

As a matter of fact, the avoiding part includes cheese that is made of unpasteurized milk! Those include washed rinds, Roquefort, camembert, brie, and blue cheese of course.

Type of CheeseMilk
Washed RindsGoats, Sheep, Cow Milk
RoquefortSheep Milk
CamembertCow Milk
BrieCow Milk

Based on the table above, you can find out what milk is the cheese mentioned made of, so you can have a clear mirror on whether you should use it or not, but the soft cheese types are the ones that many pregnant women avoid, and you should avoid them as well!

What Cheese Should a Pregnant Woman Consume?

If soft cheese is the most dangerous type of cheese for moms-to-be, there are some other cheese types that you can eat without worrying about any other problems!

The cheese that is safe during pregnancy includes all types of hard cheese! However, if there is too much salt in one, make sure to eat properly and avoid consuming it in a high amount.

The most popular hard cheeses are Emmental, Mimolette, Gruyere, Cheddar, Grana Padano, Pecorino, and Parmigiano! If you are craving any of the types of cheese that I mentioned, run to the store and buy some because it is safe in any trimester of your pregnancy!

Final Words

As we came to the concluding part of this article, I hope that you understood everything you need to know, regarding the query of whether can you eat blue cheese when pregnant.

If your cravings aren’t the worst ones that you have had in a period, make sure to avoid blue cheese! As I mentioned in this article, blue cheese has some disadvantages, and the main one is the fact that its milk is unpasteurized.

I hope that this article will be your biggest guide on choosing what cheese to avoid and what to eat when you are pregnant! Good luck!

All content and media on RaisingSmallSouls is created and published online for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice. The information on this website is not meant to take the place of expert medical assistance, advice, or consultations. You should speak with a medical expert if you have any worries or inquiries while pregnant.