When it comes to soft cheeses, most pregnant women simply stay away.
Despite how tasty they are, moms-to-be are wary of eating feta cheese because of being constantly advised that soft cheeses pose health risks to them and their babies.
However, feta cheese can be consumed safely during pregnancy, depending on the feta cheese pregnant women eat.
Feta cheese, it turns out, is not uniform across the board in the way it is made, and that makes all the difference in deciding whether this tasty soft cheese is okay to eat for pregnant women.
In this article, we’ll address the questions: Can you have feta cheese while pregnant? What are the risks moms-to-be should be aware of?
We’ll talk about the dangers of unpasteurized milk and unpasteurized cheeses and why food like deli meats are a no-no when pregnant.
Can you have feta cheese while pregnant?
The answer to this question isn’t exactly simple.
You shouldn’t eat most soft cheeses when pregnant because they are usually made from unpasteurized milk.
Unpasteurized cheeses, such as soft cheeses in general, are not considered safe to eat because of this.
However, American feta cheese is pasteurized feta cheese and is, therefore, safer for pregnant women than other soft cheeses.
Check the label
Is your feta pasteurized? That’s the question you must ask yourself before indulging if you are an expectant mother.
You can eat feta cheese, which is generally safe if not made with raw milk. Raw milk has not been pasteurized, meaning it has not been purified of bacteria, which can lead to illness and pregnancy issues.
To find out if the feta cheese you have was made with pasteurized milk, simply look at the label of the soft cheese.
You should not eat if it says it is an unpasteurized cheese made from unpasteurized milk or that the product is raw milk cheese.
Check the website
If your feta cheese label doesn’t clearly show whether it was made from pasteurized milk, the next step is to check out the label on the company website.
If you cannot find the answer on the company’s main page, you can usually find a “Contact Us” page where someone can answer your questions. This will let you know with certainty whether you can safely eat feta cheese made by this company.
When in doubt, throw it out
If you cannot find the label for your feta cheese online or aren’t sure what brand it is, most doctors will tell pregnant women to play it safe and just throw it out.
You can’t blindly trust or hope that it was made from pasteurized milk and eat feta cheese without being sure it’s safe to eat.
The possible risks outweigh the potential benefits.
Tossing the feta cheese or letting someone not pregnant eat it if you aren’t sure it was made with pasteurized milk is safer.
Is feta cheese safe during pregnancy?
We’ve discussed that when pregnant women eat feta cheese, they need to be sure it is made from pasteurized milk, but does that automatically make feta cheese safe to eat? Maybe not.
Eating feta cheese produced or packaged in a factory that makes or packages other soft cheeses can pose an issue.
Cross-contamination concerns
You should always be wary of any feta pasteurized in a facility or plant that makes other soft cheeses in which cross-contamination may have occurred.
Just like if you have a nut allergy and must avoid eating foods packaged in facilities with nuts or nut products when pregnant, you should also be careful of the risk of bacterial growth and food poisoning from questionable feta cheese sources.
Do not eat feta cheese that comes from a salad bar
No one is disputing that feta cheese is delicious on a salad. However, even if the feta cheese on a salad bar or buffet is made with pasteurized milk, you should still avoid eating it.
This is because foods near it the feta cheese on that salad bar can contaminate it, resulting in illness.
For example, suppose the feta you put on your salad was also in contact with raw deli lunch meats or salad meats, such as ham. In that case, it can end up contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, which can cause issues, especially in the third trimester, leading to illness, premature birth, low birth weight, and more.
The issue with unpasteurized cheeses
Unpasteurized cheese is delicious, and for most people, it doesn’t pose much threat to your health. However, the same cannot be said of moms-to-be.
Understanding why unpasteurized cheese is not safe to consume during pregnancy may help shed some light on why it’s not worth risking your or your baby’s health just for some yummy cheese.
Listeria monocytogenes
Listeria bacteria are on foods grown near animal products. They can cross-contaminate food such as cheeses, vegetables, and other meats.
Cheese not made from pasteurized milk becomes a breeding ground for whatever bacteria gets near it.
Listeria bacteria multiplies, posing large risks to pregnant women and their babies.
It can cause miscarriage in the first trimester, congenital disabilities, and major illness later in pregnancy.
Symptoms of listeria infection
If you think or know that you have eaten unpasteurized cheese or feta and are concerned about your health, you may want to pay attention and start looking for symptoms of listeria.
The symptoms are often quite similar to general illness or even poisoning.
If you notice any of the following, contact your doctor or healthcare provider immediately:
- Headache
- Achiness
- Fever
- Chills
While it can just be a cold or any sort of illness, if you have consumed unpasteurized feta and feel ill, you should probably get checked out just to be safe.
Feta Cheese and Pregnancy FAQs
When you eat dairy foods during pregnancy, you may have a bit of an upset stomach or suddenly find that pregnancy has rendered you lactose intolerant (it happens).
It’s a bummer when this occurs, but it’s not all that risky. You just have to avoid all kinds of cheeses and other dairy products until after delivery.
However, when it comes to cheeses in general, the following are commonly asked questions you may be wondering about during pregnancy.
Is cooked unpasteurized feta cheese safe?
Yes! The cooking process kills bacteria, meaning you can have cooked or baked feta cheese, whether made with pasteurized milk or not. You can also indulge in melted feta!
Are hard cheeses safe?
Hard cheeses are considered safe because they are all generally made with pasteurized milk.
What other foods contain listeria?
Harmful bacteria and food can survive and thrive on just about any surface.
However, foods grown or packaged around certain meat and animal products that have not undergone pasteurization can be especially risky.
These include hot dogs, blue-veined cheeses, and blue cheese.
Ready-to-eat meats such as hot dogs and lunch meat carry the highest risk of harmful bacteria.
Is cream cheese during pregnancy okay?
Cream cheese, hard cheese, goat’s milk, and other cheeses made with pasteurized milk are all generally safe for you and your unborn baby during pregnancy.
You can crumble up pasteurized feta on a Greek salad, as well, or substitute it for goat’s cheese for a tasty spin that poses no risk at all to your unborn baby.
Just be sure to confirm and be certain that the feta you put on your salad is not made from unpasteurized goat milk or sheep milk.
Is queso fresco safe for unborn babies?
If you are a pregnant mother and get cravings for cheese during pregnancy, you’re not alone.
And while we’ve discussed that pasteurized products are safe, you may be wondering if there is any risk of foodborne illness associated with that yummy melted cheese at Mexican restaurants.
Most doctors and experts recommend passing on this type of cheese, and there is a slight risk of heavy metals and cross-contamination.
How long does it take to show signs of listeria?
Suppose you have been careless or didn’t realize you needed to consume only pasteurized ingredients and are worried about your health, premature labor, or other issues that come with listeria. In that case, you may want to know how long you need to be concerned after you eat cold cuts or other unpasteurized dairy products.
Most of the time, symptoms of illness begin within about 24 hours, lasting for 24 to 72 hours.
Symptoms are similar to mild flu-like symptoms and can cause muscle aches, fatigue, and more.
Be sure to contact your doctor if you feel ill and are worried that it might be caused by something you ate or drank.
Cheese and pregnancy
Cheese is amazing, and it’s a commonly craved food for many women during pregnancy.
However, due to the risk of illness for a pregnant mother and her unborn baby, you may want to steer clear of feta or other soft or unpasteurized products until you have your baby.
It’s worth it for some women to do lots of research and make careful and individual decisions.
For others, it’s easier and safer to steer clear of it and order a huge Greek salad after the baby is born.