Blue/soft cheese - ok if it's cooked?

[Millie26]

Stilton, melted on toast.

I want it more than anything in the world.

Please can I have it and not risk giving my unborn child some sort of traumatic poisoning?

[ThisTooWillPass]

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[ThisTooWillPass]

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[boogeek]

Just have it ;)
There was an article in midwifery matters (sadly unavailable online) about the so-called risks of all the food stuff you get told. Listeria poisoning is a vanishingly small risk.
[disclaimer: had my first baby abroad where the food dos and don'ts are so different from those we are told here that I decided none of them were worth taking note of. I avoided, you know, eggs that had been under a heat lamp for the day, sausage rolls from dodgy vans, and so forth but was otherwise very laid-back. Some people find my attitude irresponsible such that they are stirred to lecture. Thus, ignore me if you wish.]

[Millie26]

Thanks guys. I thought I heard somewhere that its ok.

boogeek - I'm with you really. My mum scoffs massively at what she calls my 'ridiculous' pregnancy eating rules.

She said had I ever heard of anyone getting ill from brie?

I haven't.

(although not sure if we'd know? Anyway, I can believe it's the smallest risk ever.)

[boogeek]

I think we'd know. It would be on the front page of the Daily Mail "Irresponsible (teen) (immigrant) mothers risking their babies' life and limb by eating (foreign) cheese"

[weepootle]

Brie & cranberry is my craving every time I'm pg. First pg I gave it up [paranoid], both pg's since, I have eaten it almost daily.

[Olihan]

The french live on brie and blue cheese during their pregnancies. I'd be really interested to see how the incidence of Listeria in pg varies between the two countries. We're far too hysterical about it here, imo.

[Millie26]

Ha! Yes.

I am neither a teen nor an immigrant but the Daily Mail could get me on not being married and continuing to really enjoy peanut butter.

[boogeek]

Gasp! Peanut butter!

[Millie26]

olihan, that's really interesting. It's funny the differences between countries.

I want to be responsible but I also have this real urge to be a rebel about it.

If I have bubbbly hot stilton then I'm sure it will be fine.

Oh wow, I REALLY want it now

[Olihan]

I found this dull very interesting article about listeria in European countries. It basically says that the incidence of Listeriosis in pg women in the UK hasn't changed since 200, despite the overall increase in cases during that time. It also says the same about Germany which afaik, doesn't have such a ling list of what not to eat in pg.

[Olihan]

The most interesting point is this:

In France, Germany, England, and Wales, the increased incidence (of Listeriosis) occurred predominantly in patients [greater than or equal to] 60 years of age. The number of maternal/neonatal cases is declining in all countries.

So there you go. Pg French women eat all the 'banned' cheeses and rare beef etc and cases of Listeriosis is still going down.

Make of that what you will.

[divedaisy]

Great - I'm off to eat cheese!

[cali]

Enjoy, I craved blue cheese during my last pregnancy and only gave in once - brocoli and stilton soup, well more than once as I ate it lots.

[fragola]

I'm a paranoid sort, so when I've eaten "banned" cheese, I've melted it down in a pan and let it bubble for a while. I really do think that all of these pregnancy food rules are driving me mad - the last time I was melting cheese I caught myself cackling "die bugs, die!".

[eggybrokenoff]

ooh this is a really interesting thread - I would give anything for pate on toast and blue cheese pasta. I think pate is a real no no though but I might let myself have some nice cheese after reading this!

[Tapster]

I crave salami (spanish parents I blame), last time I waited until I was 20 weeks this time I would scoff it everyday if I could be bothered to go the shops. I've eaten brie, goats cheese etc... I do make sure cheese is pausterised - well in this country.

[Madigan]

ok talk to me about prawns ... my favourite food ever. Can I eat them???? I am dreaming about a prawn cocktail (with pasteurised mayonnaise obviously).

[thehouseofmirth]

Yes, to prawns!

[Madigan]

Really??? so why all the fuss about seafood???.
If I did get a dodgy prawn, and got food poisoning, would that affect the baby? One of my friends has told me it would not; that the only reason for the advice against eating seafood is that you are more susceptible to food poisoning when you are pregnant ... is this true?

[EightiesChick]

Zoe Williams wrote a Guardian article last year about this, covering other things (like alcohol and caffeine) as well as cheese, but basically saying the risks are massively overstated, and mentioning some studies that now show this.
www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/may/29/health.medicineandhealth

[MinkyBorage]

eat it!! I'm eating everything I fancy, and not bothering to cook blue and stinky cheeses. Been eating them for years, and have never had listeria yet.

[MinkyBorage]

Madigan, I don't think it's that you're more suceptible to food poisoning, but rather that the repercussions of food poisoning are more severe, i.e. if you pg listeria (for eg) can cause miscarriage or toxoplasmosis can cause other probs, but if you're not pg, you just get sick and it's not very nice.

[SquiffyHock]

So why is pate a no-no? It's probably the only thing that I have avoided in my pregnancies but I'm really not sure why!

Regarding shellfish - I think that it increases the risk of baby developing an allergy but I'm not sure why.

[FruitynNutty]

Sorry, but Peanut Butter????
What's wrong with Peanut butter? I've never heard of that being on the "most dangerous" list unless of course you are allergic to peanuts and in which case you wouldn't be eatng it anyway! I agree with all of you. Load of old rubbish, eat what you want. Just maybe not live off coal and soap powder