Can you eat goat cheese during pregnancy
With so much information available online to advise women on what to eat and what not to eat during pregnancy, it can be difficult to know what is fact and what is fiction.
Source of nutrients
Cheese is often a food that many pregnant women are very uncertain about. The good news is that many cheeses are absolutely fine to eat during pregnancy. Cheese is also an important source of nutrients such as protein, calcium and zinc, which is why taking it can actually help give you a balanced diet during pregnancy.
Raw milk vs pasteurised milk
Sometimes goat cheese is made from raw milk. In raw milk, the Listeria bacteria get a chance to grow. This is a dangerous bacteria for your unborn baby that can have very nasty consequences if infected. Raw milk cheeses are hardly ever produced in the Netherlands. However, they are imported from other countries. It is therefore wise to check the packaging of goat's cheese before eating it. Goat's cheese that you cannot eat during pregnancy can be recognised by the words 'au lait cru' or 'raw milk' in the list of ingredients. If you buy your cheese at a cheese shop, ask whether it has been made with pasteurised milk. Heating (pasteurisation) kills bacteria in the cheese. All of Bettine's goat cheeses are made from pasteurised milk and are therefore safe for you and your baby.
Eating goat cheese during pregnancy is good for you as it is a source of dairy and is therefore good for bones. Experience with several pregnant women has shown that goat cheese can be a good alternative for pregnancy sickness or bloating.