Can You Eat Goat Cheese When Pregnant?

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Cheese is a good source of protein and calcium during pregnancy and can aid your baby’s bone development (1). Therefore, goat cheese while pregnant could also be a healthy and delicious addition to your diet. However, take it with caution since there are restrictions on specific cheese. As with any cheese, be aware of its potential risks and follow some guidelines to ensure the safe consumption of goat cheese during pregnancy. Keep scrolling to learn about the safe and unsafe goat cheeses for pregnancy, the benefits, and tips to incorporate them into your meals as part of a healthy diet.

Can Pregnant Women Eat Goat Cheese?

Pregnant women may consume goat cheese as long as it is made from pasteurized milk and does not have a white coating or rind on the outside (2). However, if you have lactose intolerance or a history of allergic reactions to dairy products, it is best you avoid it.

Which Goat Cheese Is Safe During Pregnancy?

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You may add a few types of goat cheese to your pregnancy diet due to their lower risk of bacterial infection. These include:

• Pasteurized goat cheese: This refers to the cheese made from pasteurized goat milk. Pasteurization lowers the count of harmful bacteria in the milk and increases its shelf life while retaining the nutritional benefits (3) (4).

• Hard goat cheese: Hard cheese made from pasteurized or unpasteurized milk contains less water, making it difficult for bacteria to thrive. Hence, it may be safe to eat while pregnant (5) .

Caution

Although all hard cheeses are safe for pregnancy, there may be a slight risk of bacterial infection from listeria (5).

Which Goat Cheese Is Unsafe During Pregnancy?

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To ensure food safety during pregnancy, you should not eat the following variants of goat cheese.

• Unpasteurized goat cheese: Consuming unpasteurized cheese made from raw goat milk may expose you to the listeria bacteria, leading to a potentially dangerous infection known as listeriosis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the risk of listeria infection is ten times higher for pregnant women than other individuals. Listeriosis may increase the risk of stillbirth and, miscarriage, and make your baby ill (3).

• Mold-ripened soft goat cheese: Pasteurized or unpasteurized surface mold-ripened cheese contains a coating of a fungus called Penicillium camemberti on its outer surface that gives it a distinctive taste and smell (6). The soft mold-ripened cheese has a higher moisture content, making it favorable for bacterial growth (3). Thus, it may have adverse health effects on the baby.

Quick fact

Except for mold-ripened soft cheese, all pasteurized soft cheeses without the white coating, including soft goat cheese, are safe for pregnancy (5).

How Is Pasteurized Goat Cheese Beneficial During Pregnancy?

Considering its nutritional composition, goat cheese may have several pregnancy benefits when taken in moderation and improve maternal health. So, you may include it in your pregnancy diet after speaking to your health care provider during your prenatal care appointments:

• Goat cheese is a rich source of protein (7), one of the essential nutrients for pregnancy. Protein aids in fetal brain development and a healthy pregnancy body by increasing blood supply and supporting uterine tissue growth (8).

• It has a high calcium content which supports your baby’s strong bone and teeth development (7) (8).

• Vitamin A in goat cheese may strengthen your immune system (9) (10). However, you should be careful not to exceed your daily vitamin A intake, as it may harm the baby (10).

• Goat cheese is also believed to possess antimicrobial activity against Group B Streptococcus (GBS) (11). Although rare, GBS may cause infection in pregnancy, leading to complications (12).

• Goat’s milk has shorter fat molecules than cow’s milk and thus may be easier to digest for some people who are lactose intolerant. This also explains why a few people may tolerate goat’s cheese better than cow’s cheese (13).

How To Buy The Right Type Of Goat Cheese?

When buying goat cheese for a pregnant woman, check the label and pick it if it says “made with pasteurized milk” (14). In addition, you may prefer to buy hard cheese instead of the soft variety. While buying the cheese, feel a difference in the texture of hard and soft cheese. Hard cheese is generally dry and crumbly (15).

How to Eat Goat Cheese When Pregnant?

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To reap the benefits of your cheese indulgence, you should know how to eat it right. Here are the tips to safely include goat cheese in your meals while pregnant.

• Pair the cheese with your favorite salad or vegetable dish by sprinkling some crumbs over it.
• A piece of salty goat cheese may go well with a sweet fruit of your choice.
• Satisfy your pregnancy cravings with a classic cheese and crackers snack.
• Use it in your homemade pizzas for a healthier cheese option.

Infographic: Goat Cheese To Eat And Avoid When Pregnant

Goat cheese is a versatile cheese that you can enjoy in different ways. However, it is essential to know the different goat cheeses and how they may affect pregnant women. This infographic discusses safe to eat and avoid goat cheeses and some handy tips to include in your diet.

Illustration: Momjunction Design Team

Get the high-quality PDF version of this infographic.

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Unlock the secrets of crafting delightful goat cheese in the comfort of your home! Simply follow the straightforward steps in this video, and in no time, you’ll relish the satisfaction of homemade goat cheese.

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Hannah WhittakerRD

Hannah is a pregnancy and pediatric dietitian with seven years of experience. She specializes in milk allergy and vegan pregnancy. She has been working with women and children for nearly 20 years, the last seven years as a registered dietitian. She manages her private practice bump2baby in the UK but has clients globally.  Hannah did her bachelors and PG diploma...more

Swati PatwalM.Sc. (Food & Nutrition), MBA

Swati Patwal is a clinical nutritionist, a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) and a toddler mom with more than a decade of experience in diverse fields of nutrition. She started her career as a CSR project coordinator for a healthy eating and active lifestyle project catering to school children. Then she worked as a nutrition faculty and clinical nutrition coach in...more

Rebecca MalachiBSc

Rebecca is a pregnancy writer and editor with a passion for delivering research-based and engaging content in areas of fertility, pregnancy, birth, and post-pregnancy. She did her graduation in Biotechnology and Genetics from Loyola Academy, Osmania University and obtained a certification in ‘Nutrition and Lifestyle in Pregnancy’ from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU). She has been into health and...more

Aneesha AmonzMSc

Aneesha holds a Bachelor's degree in Biotechnology from USTM, Meghalaya and Master’s degree in Applied Microbiology from VIT, Vellore. With two years of experience, she has worked on different research projects in the field of Food Sciences. In addition, she has an internship experience in Oil India Limited as an R&D project trainee. As a writer at MomJunction, Aneesha ensures...more