cheese

is it ok to eat bega singles (the plastic cheese though) the one like the kraft singles??

they are fine. its only your soft cheeses and philly cheeses to avoid as they have cream in them.

i thought philly was ok?

Im eating budget singles now so tasty mmm

no, i was a menu girl at local hospital and our pregnant ladies werent allowed anything with philly - meaning cheesecake etc. also only allowed HARD boiled eggs, no mayo (contains raw egg) and only FRESH food from that day or defrosted and eaten that day.

argh. im confused coz there are so many diff opinions. i found this article about philly coz i have eaten philly.
Cheeses which are SAFE to eat in pregnancy
Hard cheeses:
austrian smoked, Babybel, caerphilly, cheddar, cheshire, derby, double gloucester, edam, emmental, english goat's cheddar, feta (if bought in the UK), gouda, gruyere, halloumi, havarti, jarlsberg, lancashire, mozzarella, orkney, paneer, parmesan, pecorino (hard), provolone, red leicester.

Soft and processed cheeses:
Boursin, cottage cheese, cheese spread, cream cheese, mascarpone, philadelphia, quark, ricotta.

Yoghurts, fromage frais, soured cream and creme fraiche -- any variety, including natural, flavoured and biologically active -- are all safe to eat.

wow! thats quite a variety. i am just going on what we were and were not allowed to give our pregnant mums. i havent been at this job since the year 2000 so maybe things have changed. i guess its your choice. i just know your "plastic" cheese slices as we call them are fine to eat whilst prego. have fun!!!!!!

i heard philly is ok coz its pasturized?

Ive recently in one sitting ate 1/4 of a tub of philly ????!!!!!!!:doh:
Ive also eaten (fresh) aust. fetta.......loads of it ..............hope this is okay???

there is probably heaps of contradicting theories on "safe" foods out there. i stick to what i know otherwise my motto is FRESH IS BEST. if you girls are worried maybe speak to a dietician or nurse.

It all depends on the type of bacteria cultures in the cheese, and if they are active or (live) cultures or not.

FYI you shouldn't be eating anythin with live cultures.

I too didn't think you could have cheescake unless it was baked.

This is what i have found out!
Listeria- the bacteria that can cause a m/c (listeria) can exist in non-pasturised products. So most cheeses in Oz are ok to eat, as they are made from pasturised milk. Soft cheeses such as camembert and brie can be made from unpasturised milk, particularly imported cheeses. Therefore best to avoid them. Also blue vein cheese can harbour the bacteria.
Philly is fine, (Especially with sweet chilli...yummm!!) i think that people think of "soft cheese" and encorporate anything that isn't tasty cheese!

Kraft singles are as processed as they come, so no possibility of listeria is living in them, so i would eat them until your heart is content!

The reason all animal products, ie meat, eggs etc need to be cooked through is that listeria can not survive once heated. So you can eat a dish with cooked camembert in it, as long as it is heated through.

But it is always best to do what makes you feel comfortable in yourself, if you are worried, then perhaps avoid things you are concerned about. There's a whole lot of worrying to do when you are pregnant! hey??

Yep, my Dr said I can eat brie etc all cheeses basically, as long as their pasturised. He then said almost all, if not all aust cheeses are pasturised. Just don't buy deli cheeses that have been sitting on display. Always packaged. xo

Guys what have you heard about ricotta? i make a great pasta with it and I am DYING to have it....

i heard that u werent meant to eat ricotta but b4 i knew this i was eating it alot so....

Phew, I'm glad Philly is fine. I have been eating bucket loads with cravings for Philly and tomato on toast! I did check when I first had the cravings and from what I understood it was fine because it is pasturised.

Ricotta.......it is okay when it is cooked then? I heard that I shouldn't eat it, but if something has ricotta in it and has been fully cooked it is okay.

Have to say that Eggs Benedict being my fave breakfast is an absolute bummer. No hollandaise or soft boiled eggs.

I think you have to be careful with some fresh yoghurt too if unpasturised milk has been used.

After reading this, I need to go and kill DH since he ate all the Babybel by convincing me I couldn't have it. Cunning plan. Think I'll tell him the Doctor told me to eat his Easter eggs!

Thanks AngeA, youve made perfect sense :p

Onto the cheesecake thing...the philly in it is ok, it's the raw eggs that aren't. As said before, baked is ok (actually better than ok, and now that I'm thinking about it I could really do a HUGE slice right now!!!!!!) :D

Lynnette x