Parmesan During Pregnancy: Allowed?
Can Parmesan cheese be eaten during pregnancy without any concerns? We clarify whether eating it can be dangerous for mother and baby.
When a woman becomes pregnant, healthy nutrition and food safety are particularly important. Among the most common cheeses, Parmesan cheese is the one most frequently questioned when it comes to abstaining during pregnancy.
Cheese is important during pregnancy
Cheese is one of the foods that you should look closely at when you are pregnant. But a balanced diet is even more important during pregnancy: Pregnant women should not completely avoid eating cheese because it contains important proteins, trace elements, vitamins and minerals.
These nutrients are particularly important for expectant mothers and the unborn child. Pregnant women need them in large quantities so that the baby can develop well.
Pregnant women should avoid these cheeses
- Raw milk products (raw milk cheese) and
- Fresh cheese offered openly at the counter and
- White mould and blue cheese
This way you can be sure not to eat cheese contaminated with listeria or bacteria! This is because the embryo does not yet have enough resistance to infection.
Soft cheeses like camembert may be eaten as back camembert, because temperatures above 70° kill the listeria.
Parmesan in pregnancy: Dangerous or not?
Although Italian hard cheese is often made from raw milk, it has been slightly heated and the long maturing period and storage of the Parmesan cheese (12 to 72 months) ensure that the food hardly contains any listeria or bacteria, which are dangerous for pregnant women.
However, the rind of the Parmesan cheese should be removed generously during pregnancy. This is healthier for mother and baby. Parmesan may also be eaten while breastfeeding. If the hard cheese is heated, the Parmesan is particularly harmless.
What cheese is made from raw milk?
Certain cheeses must be made with raw milk. With others it is a matter of taste.
These cheeses contain among other things raw milk:
- Parmigiano Reggiano D.O.P.
- Sliced cheese Gruyère
- Sbrinz
- Emmentaler AOC
- Allgäuer Emmental PDO
- Emmental de Savoie AOP
- Cantal
- Salers
- Laguiole
- Comté
- Gruyére
Good to know: Raw-milk cheese is always marked “made with raw milk”.
Listeria in pregnancy
Listeria infection is rare in pregnant women. Overall, listeriosis is a rare infectious disease. However, if a pregnant woman becomes infected, it can be fatal for the fetus. However, there are only 3 cases of the disease for every 80,000 pregnancies. Infection occurs mainly through the consumption of contaminated food of animal or plant origin. Or through contact with animals.
Parmesan cheese during pregnancy is in any case harmless and the thought of oven cheese and baked camembert makes our mouths water… hmmmm. Well then, enjoy it!