Is Parmesan Cheese Safe when Pregnant? — Pasteurized or Unpasteurized.

To be safe and healthy, all should follow a nutritious diet; pregnant women are no exception. To put it another way, consuming highly nutritious foods is a must during pregnancy, as healthy foods offer essential nutrients needed for the growth of the unborn baby.

Cheese is one of the options that you can include in your pregnancy diet. Since cheese has numerous varieties, you should check its safety for pregnancy beforehand. Here we want to discuss parmesan cheese while pregnant, which gets queried a lot.

Parmesan cheese can be made with pasteurized and unpasteurized milk. You may wonder which one is safe for you and the baby. We will help you find the answer to your questions regarding eating parmesan cheese in pregnancy in this article on Hipregnancy.

Before starting the first part of this article about parmesan cheese, the Hipregnancy team appreciates you for taking the time to read this post. If you are ready, let’s start.

Is all parmesan cheese pasteurized?

Parmesan cheese is a hard cheese made with cow’s milk, used for shaving or grating over dishes such as salads or pasta. Is all parmesan raw and unpasteurized? Or is parmesan cheese pasteurized? Let’s discuss the answer to these questions.

There are two types of parmesan cheese: Parmigiano Reggiano and Generic Parmesan.

Parmigiano Reggiano is a classic Italian cheese which is made with unpasteurized milk. This parmesan cheese classifies as hard cheese and is aged at least 12 months. Generic parmesan cheese is famous in the US and countries outside Europe and can be made with pasteurized and unpasteurized milk.

To conclude, all parmesan cheese is not pasteurized; some are pasteurized, and some are not. So, is parmesan cheese healthy during pregnancy? The following part will answer this question based on scientific pieces evidence.

Another cheese can be used in pasta similar to parmesan. Can you guess what is it? Ricotta cheese. Hipregnancy provided an article regarding its consumption. If you like, you can read more about it on ricotta pregnancy.

Is parmesan cheese okay for pregnancy?

As discussed in the previous part, parmesan cheese can be made with pasteurized and unpasteurized milk. Since pregnant ladies have weak immune systems, they should not consume unpasteurized dairy products due to the risk of listeria. So, is unpasteurized parmesan safe in pregnancy?

It may seem unusual and odd, but it is safe to eat unpasteurized parmesan cheese while pregnant due to its hard texture and low moisture content. Several studies are to see how listeria would survive in unpasteurized parmesan cheese. The results show that parmesan cheese can not support the growth of harmful bacteria as it is a hard cheese and low in moisture.

Pregnant ladies can enjoy moderate amounts parmesan cheese and use it in several dishes; add to soups and sauces, grave it over salads or pasta, or use it in hot dishes. Since parmesan is a hard cheese, it can be eaten cooked and uncooked when pregnant.

The variety of cheese is endless; therefore, you can try other options besides parmesan cheese while pregnant. One of them is cottage cheese with a mild flavour. To learn more about it, check cottage cheese pregnancy.

Benefits of parmesan cheese while pregnant

Some health benefits of eating parmesan cheese in pregnancy are as follows;

• Parmesan cheese is a rich source of protein for pregnant women and prevents protein deficiency. It provides high-quality and easy-to-digest proteins needed for the fetus’s development.

Parmesan is a good source of protein for pregnant ladies who are vegetarian and don’t eat meat. If you are vegetarians or want to know more about a vegan diet, check out our vegan pregnancy benefits article.

• Parmesan cheese contains high levels of calcium and phosphorus; therefore, eating parmesan cheese while pregnant can prevent osteoporosis and support good bone health. It is good to know that the calcium in parmesan cheese is highly bioavailable and can be easily absorbed by pregnant ladies’ bodies.
• Parmesan is naturally lactose-free, and because of that, it is an excellent option for those pregnant ladies with lactose intolerance. According to studies, the lactose content of parmesan is 0.010 mg per 100 kcal of product, making parmesan safe to eat for all pregnant ladies, even those who can’t digest lactose.
• Moderate parmesan intake helps blood vessels to contract and maintains healthy blood pressure.

Hipregnancy recommends you consult your doctor before adding parmesan cheese to your pregnancy diet to determine how much you can have it. Overeating parmesan cheese in pregnancy can return it to an unhealthy option; therefore, talk to your doctor to check how much your intake should be.

How do you know if cheese is pasteurized?

Pregnant ladies should avoid eating soft cheeses made with unpasteurized milk due to the high risk of bacterial contamination. Consuming some cheeses like string cheese pregnancy is safe since it is made with pasteurized milk. However, some cheeses, like blue cheese, can be made with pasteurized and unpasteurized milk. (Read more in the article “can you eat blue cheese dressing while pregnant?”)

So, how to know if the cheese is pasteurized? Let us tell you.

Most pasteurized cheeses are labelled as “pasteurized”. Another way to check whether the cheese is pasteurized is to check the ingredient list. The cheese is pasteurized if it is made with pasteurized milk and cream. In sum, checking the label and ingredient list while purchasing cheese can help you know whether the cheese is safe for pregnancy.

Let’s continue our article to answer this question; Is aged parmesan safe during pregnancy? Everything is provided in the following part.

Aged parmesan cheese while pregnant

Generally speaking, the high moisture content of cheese can create an excellent environment for the growth of harmful bacteria like listeria. Aged cheeses like parmesan are low in moisture; therefore, they are not a good place for bacterial growth.

Parmigiano Reggiano is aged 12–36 months, and generic parmesan is aged at least 10 months. Both are aged parmesan cheese and are considered safe for pregnant women and their unborn babies.

Typically, the more cheese ages, the drier it becomes. So, the older parmesan is, the safer it is for pregnancy. The older parmesan cheese is more expensive and has a more intense flavour. You can enjoy eating aged parmesan cheese while pregnant without experiencing any issues if you moderate your intake.

Are you ready to answer another query about parmesan cheese? If yes, let’s see what the following section wants to say.

source : Can You Eat Parmesan Cheese While Pregnant? — Hipregnancy