Anybody ignoring the cheese guidelines?

[miamix]

Anybody? Obviously not to the point where you're gorging on stilton daily, but anybody had the odd sliver of blue cheese?

Blue cheese? Blech! But must admit I sometimes had brie without worrying much whether it was pasteurised or not.

Find me a woman (any woman) who followed every pregnancy guideline to the letter; I don't think she exists.

yes, I am having the odd bit of unpasteurised, goat's or blue cheese.

the guidance in pregnancy is about avoiding food poisoning.

my own personal feeling on this is I therefore feel it's a safer bet to have a bit of contraband from a cheesemonger I have known and used for years, than a chicken kebab from a ropey looking takeway, despite the fact that the latter is "permitted".

I too confess that I have had blue cheese ... very much in moderation but still had it. Completely agree with IPredictADiet in the sense that some of the things that we are allowed can be far more of a risk than the things that we aren't.

I've been pilfering St Agur out my fridge when DP is not looking, I love it! but I waiting until 14 weeks until I just couldn't help myself! Blue cheese I think is about getting Listeria but I've never met anyone who had Listeria so I'm not so bothered

What IpredictADiet and Lavitabella say ... I also ate my eggs runny, for the same reasons.

I did also wait until after 12 weeks to do this stuff.

It's fine cooked, btw: so if you have a massive craving for it in quantity, you could crumble some on pasta and heat it through?

Eggs I think is a bit different because if they're British Lion stamped eggs, the chickens will have been vaccinated against salmonella (which is the risk with runny eggs). So there's far less chance that they could contain salmonella anyway.

I was thinking the exact same thing this lunchtime.

I reckon that pregnancy (as with life in general) can't be about eliminating all risk - all you can do is reduce the risk to a level where the risk/reward ratio is acceptable.

To me its the same as cycling - they say not to, as you may fall over, but I've fallen downstairs more times than I've fallen off my bike, so to me the benefits of cycling (health, fresh air, exercise) outweigh the riks.

Having said all that, I haven't eaten blue cheese as its been a fairly easy thing to eliminate with only a marginal downside (I love it). But I have eaten runny eggs and non-well done meat, as I've found it impossible not to (e.g. this weekend where the only thing on the menu that did not contain pate, shark, raw fish or blue cheese was steak, and there was no way it was going to come back to me well done (neither, to be fair, could I actually bring myself to ask for it well done. It was hard enough to say medium, given that I normally like it blue!)

Ipredictariot Listeria (the bacteria connected with cheeses) causes a specific type of food poisening which is far more harmful to a pregnant woman due to the manner in which it attacks the body, as opposed to say the sort of bacteria found in a kebab which causes food poisoning.

Listeria bacteria are extremely invasive and can cross the placenta (unlike many other food poisoning bugs) once this happens miscarriage/still birth is the likely outcome.

Of all the things to avoid in pregnancy unpasturised cheeses ought to be the priority IMHO. One slice of blue cheese with listera is far more dangerous than a diet of fags and vodka.

Yep..waited til 12 weeks, and then have had the odd bit of blue and soft cheese (generally pasteurised though). So whilst not mainlining the stuff, I decided that a little bit of what you fancy in moderation was not going to hurt me.

I tend to ignore all the food rules - just had a chorizo sandwich. Most of the time I forget what they are anyway. I certainly haven't laid off the cheese - there are just over 100 cases of listeria in the UK annually and most of those are associated with meat products.

Good to know Had a bit of blue cheese over the weekend at a wedding, and some brie melted onto giant mushrooms on the BBQ yesterday. Won't be making a habit of it as I understand the risks but figured a small amount couldn't hurt given the stats (Octavia I had heard a similar number for listeria cases).

Been completely ignoring the cold meats thing though... my OH is Italian, I can't get away from them ;)

nancydrewrocks - I don't know that I agree with your last statement. I think that the difference is that if you do get listeria, there is a risk that the baby will be stillborn. However this is a very low chance - there was a thread on this last week with the figures. If you smoke throughout pregnancy, there is research to show that your baby is highly likely (ie there's a good chance) to have learning difficulties, asthma and a plethora of other problems. For me personally - a piece of blue from a trusted source over half a pack a day, any day!!

Please don't. I do know someone who got listeria, a friend who had conceived a much wanted child through ivf. She had a miscarriage.

It is a real risk. The guidelines aren't there for amusement. It's easy enough to avoid the wrong types of cheese, or cook them into a sauce or a fondue if your desperate (in this heat?!).

It's only a very few months of your whole life, compared to your baby's life.

I love soft and blue cheeses, but I have to admit to fully avoiding them while pregnant both times. I do miss them, but don't think it's worth the risk.

Everyone's cut-off point is different though - I have had the odd glass of wine here and there, whereas others wouldn't even consider that.

Just to add - the day I got home from hospital with DS1, my best friend arrived round with a whole heap of cheeses, pates, cold meats and some champers and we gorged ourselves silly. It was fabulous, and made the abstention worth it.

notjust yes I was being a bit facetious - I apologise. However I am not sure I agree with your statements either.

My point was that if you do get listeria then the chances are your baby will sadly die.

If you smoke and drink then there is a good chance that your baby will be unaffected (although I accept that smoking and drinking can and does cause problems in some babies)

I know I've said this on other threads but can I repeat:

pasteurisation is not the issue.

You can get listeria from pasteurised and unpasteurised cheese alike.

Obviously the risk is yours to decide, but please don't think that eating pasteurised blue and soft mould-ripened cheese is ok under guidelines - it's not.

Sorry, but I see so many posts like tigermouse's and it worries me that people don't understand the issue.

Ate tons of blue cheese during pregnancies and resulting DS (nearly 2) adores it too!

I'm avoiding it - I think it's easy to do without it for the 9 months and it's not worth the risk. It's not like there's any specific benefit to eating blue/soft cheese that you can't get safely elsewhere.

Yes, some people can eat it fine - the risk of getting listeria is quite small. But it is there and if you did get it, it could be fatal for the foetus. To me, that makes for a very poor risk-benefit ratio as there's no benefit!

It's a tool used to separate the martyrs from the troopers.

I was disgusted when MW told me that I shouldn't eat Mr Whippy icecream (out the machine in vans) cos it can carry listeria (unlike other icecreams, to do with the temperature to keep it runny I think). It was summer and I had had it to my eyeballs with being told what I couldn't do/eat. I had a full tub of the stuff and thought SOD YOU! Only had the one though, just didn't feel right after that!

People do get very worked up about others' choices on this and similar issues, I have noticed. (Not necessarily on this forum - I am a relative newbie so wouldn't know - but I have googled a bit.) I say each to their own; I understand the guidelines, am glad to know the risks involved and happy to make an informed choice.

lukewarmcupoftea - I am sorry to hear about your friend's baby, although I find comments such as "The guidelines aren't there for amusement." and "It's only a very few months of your whole life, compared to your baby's life." a bit patronising and preachy, so genuinely thank you for the input but as I have explained above, I am happy with my personal choice

i had morning sickness for 9 months of pregnancy and consequently didn't eat much of anything.

When i could eat I found my body told me things it didn't want - alcohol and coffee mainly, but also strong bluey cheeses.

I think most guidelines are just that, and depending on the country you find yourself in, you'll see they're different, but it's what you're comfortable with....and without being harsh what you can live with yourself with if it all were to go wrong.

nancydrew - I think we are in basic agreement really!

I agree with what others are saying, it's your choice but just be aware of the possible consequences. I personally love all cheeses and ate the tiniest bit of chevre on the weekend - first time I've "fallen off the wagon" in 12 weeks. However I did feel guilty - it made me think 'what if?'.

I really love these forums though, it's so interesting to hear what other people are thinking and doing.