Is it really safe to eat soft cheeses while pregnant?

When it comes to cheese, check the ingredient list. As long as it is made up of "pasteurized milk", it is safe for consumption during pregnancy. This is because raw milk (and products made from raw milk) may carry disease-causing organisms, including a bacteria listeria monocytogenes, which seemed to be related to stillbirth, miscarriage or severe illness in newborn babies. Here are some soft cheese that may be made from raw milk that you should avoid: feta, Brie, Camembert, blue-veined cheese like Roquefort and Gorgonzola, and Mexican-style cheeses such as queso blanco, queso fresco, and panela. Also, to be on the safe side, it's best to avoid Mexican-style soft cheeses even if they're made from pasteurized milk. There have been some reports of contamination of these products during the cheese-making process. For more information, you can take a look at these two articles: [this article is specific to consumption of cheese during pregnancy] www.babycenter.com/404_is-it-safe-to-eat-soft-cheese-during-pregnancy_3175.bc [this article also mentioned other food that you should avoid] http://ph.theasianparent.com/foods-to-avoid-during-pregnancy/