Can you eat blue cheese when pregnant?

Find out if it's safe to eat blue cheese during pregnancy, plus precautions to take to keep you and your baby healthy.

The official advice on eating blue cheese in pregnancy

If you want to eat blue cheese when you're pregnant, you should check what type of blue cheese it is. Hard blue cheeses are safe to eat when pregnant, while soft blue cheeses should only be eaten when cooked.

Hard blue cheese

Hard blue cheese like Stilton is safe to eat.

The NHS says that all hard cheeses, such as Stilton and Cheddar, are safe to eat when you're pregnant. This is because hard cheese contains less water than soft cheese, so bacteria are less likely to grow.

Soft blue cheese

You should avoid soft blue cheeses such as Danish blue, Gorgonzola and Roquefort unless they're cooked until they're steaming hot. Soft blue cheese can contain a type of bacteria called listeria, which can increase the risk of miscarriage or health problems for your baby.

The NHS says that soft blue cheeses that are thoroughly cooked through are safe to eat, though. That's because cooking kills off the listeria bacteria.

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Delicious cheese recipes

Love cheese? Why not try one of these great pregnancy-safe recipes?

• Blue cheese and bacon pasta (if using gorgonzola, add it earlier in the cooking time, to give it a chance to cook through)
• Broccoli and Stilton soup
• Spicy cheese dips
• Cheese and potato whirls
• Pear and Stilton salad jars

We like The Whole 9 Months, a week-by-week pregnancy nutrition guide, packed full of recipes and medical advice. See more details here at Amazon.

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Foods to avoid in pregnancy: your definitive guide

Confused about what you can and can't eat during pregnancy? These are the foods and drinks you should avoid or cut down on to protect your baby.

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Looking for more pregnancy diet info? Check out our articles below, or swap tips with other mums-to-be in our forum.

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