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Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Can I eat blue cheese or not?

6 replies

Kayzr · 09/11/2011 10:09

I've been told I can eat blue cheese as long as its made with pasteurised milk. But then the nhs website says not to eat it all so I'm a bit confused now.

I just want some Stilton Sad

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MrsHuxtable · 09/11/2011 10:28

Yes, you are allowed Stilton. There was a thread on here a couple of days ago. There is a lot more to the "rules" than just pasteurised vs unpasteurised, for example unpasteurised hard cheeses are still fine with the rind off etc.

Relax and have some Stilton. With Oatcakes. Or crackers. Yumm...

MrsHuxtable · 09/11/2011 10:34

Btw, if you have any more cheese questions, feel free to ask because I had the start of my ante-natal care in Germany where I got a list with all "allowed/not allowed" cheeses. Most of them are listed individually, not just by type of cheese. Beware it's not a UK NHS list but nate-natal care in Germany is great so I follow this list.

Kayzr · 09/11/2011 10:38

Thank you. All the packets of blue cheese in the shop say not suitable for pregnant women apart from Saint agar.

I really want a cheese list. I love cheese Grin

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Tangle · 09/11/2011 11:28

I don't know if this will help or confuse, but my understanding is that the harder a cheese the safer it is, regardless of whether the milk was pasteurised or not. The reason for that is that a hard cheese has a much higher concentration of salt, which makes it very hard for a bacterial colony to form. Take a lump of parmesan and its so salty there will be very few bacteria in it. Take a lump of mature camembert and there's a much higher water content, along with a maturation process that depends on bacterial growth - get a listeria bug in there post pasteurisation and you'll have a nice little listeria factory by the time its on the shelf...

In general:

Hard cheese (cheddar, parmesan, stilton) = fine, pasteurisation non-essential but might make you happier
Soft, immature cheese (mozzarella, feta, etc) = fine, but buy pasteurised.
Soft, mould ripened cheese (brie, camembert, chèvre, roquefort) = avoid unless cooked.

Food labelling is completely out of sync with current recommendations. Come up with the specific cheeses you're interested in and either dig out that other thread (to get the current NHS link - I think it was this one) or use the MrsHuxtable public information service Wink. Work out what you're happy to eat. Then stop over thinking and enjoy :o

missedith01 · 09/11/2011 11:33

I think any cheese is OK if it's cooked as well. Stilton and brocolli soup is scrumptious.

IssyStark · 09/11/2011 14:12

Nope the NHS website says yes, stilton is fine:

"You can eat hard cheeses such as cheddar, parmesan and stilton, even if they're made with unpasteurised milk. Hard cheeses don't contain as much water as soft cheeses so bacteria are less likely to grow in them."
from: www.nhs.uk/Planners/pregnancycareplanner/pages/Carewithfood.aspx

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