Can a Pregnant Woman Eat Feta Cheese? Experts Explain

It’s in your pasta, on your salad, and your pizza. But can a pregnant woman eat feta cheese?

That’s a good question because feta is a soft cheese. Generally speaking, doctors warn women to avoid soft cheese during pregnancy.

Let’s talk about why feta cheese might be harmful to you and your baby. Then, we’ll discuss how you can eat feta cheese safely when you’re pregnant.

What is feta cheese?

Chefs say that the best feta cheese is made in Greece. But not to worry, you can also get delicious feta cheese made in Italy and the USA.

It’s traditionally produced with sheep and/or goat’s milk. Since it’s cured in brine it’s known as pickled cheese. The longer it ages, the saltier and stronger the flavor becomes. You’ll probably find feta as pre-crumbled bits or sold in blocks without a rind.

Can I eat feta while pregnant?

Feta is on the list of cheeses to avoid while pregnant because it may harbor bacteria like listeria. Listeriosis can make both a mother and baby very ill.

However, there are two ways you can eat feta while pregnant.

First, choose feta cheese that is made with pasteurized milk. It will be labeled as such. The pasteurization process kills the bad bacteria and makes the soft cheese safe to eat.

Second, you can eat cooked feta when pregnant and that’s even safer. You can even eat cooked unpasteurized cheese during pregnancy as long as it’s heated to a high enough temperature for a long enough time. Use a thermometer to check that you’ve hit the sweet spot of 165°F.

For example, if you make lasagna with feta cheese and bake it in the oven at 375°F, the high temperature will kill listeria.

Is feta good for you during pregnancy?

Even though feta cheese has a lot of fat and sodium, it’s also rich in protein, calcium, selenium, phosphorous, and B vitamins. If you’re sprinkling it on salads and enjoying it in wraps, it can boost your diet with essential nutrients (1).

Are there safe alternatives to feta cheese during pregnancy?

No cheese is safe during pregnancy if it’s not pasteurized. Be sure to check the label and avoid artisanal and handcrafted cheeses if they aren’t pasteurized.

If you’re simply looking for a replacement for feta cheese because feta is hard-to-find or too expensive, you might enjoy ricotta or goat cheese. On the other hand, you could try a hard cheese like parmesan.

What brands of feta cheese are pasteurized?

Greek-style cheese or feta cheese sold in supermarkets is probably pasteurized. All you have to do to be sure is check the label. It should say that the cheese consists of pasteurized milk.

Major brands like Kraft, President, Athenos, Cracker Barrel, Milbona, Dodoni, and Whole Foods are all pasteurized.

Is all pasteurized feta cheese safe for a pregnant woman?

Eating cheese made from pasteurized milk is safer because it’s heat-treated to get rid of dangerous bacteria. Nevertheless, we’ve all heard about foods that got recalled from the grocery store because of contamination. If the factory where they’re made has unsanitary conditions, even pasteurized cheese can be risky to eat (2).

How feta cheese may harm you or your baby

The bacteria that are most likely to contaminate feta cheese is Listeria monocytogenes. You can’t tell if the food is contaminated because there is no difference in appearance, smell, or taste. Also, keeping cheese refrigerated isn’t good enough to stop the bad bacteria from multiplying.

Some people who get sick with listeriosis from Listeria bacteria don’t have symptoms. Others have diarrhea or vomiting. But pregnant women, older people, and those with compromised immune systems may become very ill or die. That’s not surprising since listeriosis is the leading cause of death when it comes to foodborne illness (3).

Since the bacteria transfer through the placenta, it affects the baby, too. If listeriosis doesn’t cause a miscarriage or a stillbirth, it may cause premature birth. The baby may end up with paralysis, blindness, and various developmental disorders.

If you have eaten deli meat or soft cheese in the past 30 days and develop a headache, chills, a fever, nausea, diarrhea, or vomiting (besides morning sickness), get medical attention as soon as possible.

You can avoid all of this if you just eat the cheese enough to kill the Listeria bacteria.

How to prevent foodborne illness from feta cheese

Since Listeria can grow inside a refrigerator, keep the fridge clean by wiping up spills. Get rid of expired food and keep cheese in an airtight container. Also, wash your hands before preparing salads.

The safest thing to do is don’t eat lunch meat, deli slices, smoked meat, hot dogs, or soft cheeses unless they have been cooked to 165°F.

If you don’t have a meat thermometer, heat the cheese until it completely melts.

If you’re going to eat feta, Camembert, or Brie cheese without cooking them, make sure they are made with pasteurized milk. Check out the best feta cheese below for the next time you make Greek salad.

Mt Vikos Organic Feta Cheese

How do you know if feta is pasteurized? All you have to do is check the label. This organic feta is made in Greece with pasteurized milk from free-grazing sheep and goats. It has the perfect texture and tangy flavor.

Unlike cheaper brands made with cow’s milk and too much salt, it doesn’t use calcium chloride to make it firmer, either.

Obviously, cheese made from animal milk is not vegan food. However, this one is made with vegetarian rennet. Moreover, the animals that produce the milk are protected from pesticides and not subjected to antibiotics.

One package contains six servings packed with protein, vitamin A, calcium, and iron. It’s the perfect addition to a simple salad with tomatoes, red onion, and olives.

A single one-ounce serving provides 5 grams of protein for 80 calories. Unfortunately, it also has 359 mg of sodium from sea salt so go easy if you’re watching your blood pressure.

KOURELLAS Organic Goat Feta

If you have problems with lactose intolerance, maybe you’ve tried goat’s milk instead of cow’s milk. It has less lactose and tastes a little sweeter. Plus, goat’s milk is higher in minerals, vitamins, and protein.

Traditional feta cheese is made with goat or sheep milk. You might like it better than cow’s milk feta cheese when you crumble it on a salad. It’s not as pungent as you might expect even though it’s quite flavorful.

If you check the ingredients, you’ll see that the milk is pasteurized. The other ingredients include natural sea salt, lactic acid culture, and vegetarian rennet. There are no artificial ingredients like preservatives, flavoring, or dyes.

What’s more, this is the real deal. It’s feta cheese made in Greece by a Greek company. It’s also certified organic.

If you don’t mind a few extra calories, you may find that it’s lower in sodium than the competition. Each 1-ounce serving has 90 calories with 5 grams of protein and 14% of the daily value of calcium.

Simple Greek salad with feta cheese

Here’s a quick and easy recipe. Just be sure to use pasteurized feta and wash the greens well to protect your health.

You’ll need:

• Feta cheese
• Sun-dried tomatoes
• Walnuts
• Oregano
• Mix of greens like red leaf or romaine lettuce and spinach
• Vinaigrette dressing or balsamic vinegar and olive oil

Combine the ingredients in a bowl and enjoy.

For extra flavor (and safety), bake a block of feta cheese at 390°F until golden brown (between 6 to 8 minutes). Let it cool and crumble it over the salad.

365 by Whole Foods Market, Feta Crumbles

What’s the big deal with hormone-free feta cheese? Feta made with hormone-free milk might be a better choice for your health long-term. It’s also kinder to dairy cows.

Growth hormones like rbGH help cows produce more milk, but at a steep cost. Not only do the hormones make the cows more likely to have serious health problems, but a residual amount remains in the milk that humans drink. Those leftovers might be linked to cancer and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (4).

When you buy cheese, choose feta that’s labeled as “hormone-free” if you can. This one from Whole Foods is rich in protein and has less fat and fewer calories than the competition, but it’s a little salty.

Organic Valley Greek Style Organic Feta Cheese Block

Have you ever had feta cheese on pizza? This feta comes in a block so you can cut it into thin slices for homemade pizza or grilled cheese or crumble it on a salad or in an omelet. It has a mild flavor and enough salt that you may not need to add any extra.

It’s made with certified organic, pasteurized milk from pasture-raised cows. The milk is also hormone-free.

Per serving, it’s quite low in calories (for feta cheese) and fat with the same amount of protein as other brands.

As for freshness, the brand recommends finishing the cheese within 5 days after opening.

Dietz & Watson Originals Feta Cheese Block

Sheep’s milk makes really good feta cheese. It’s very high in protein with 8 grams per serving but only 70 calories. (There’s also only 300 mg of sodium which isn’t bad for this type of cheese).

What’s more, the company uses sheep that aren’t treated with growth hormones. They are raised in Bulgaria where the cheese is made.

I didn’t get to taste this cheese but I hear it’s fantastic for snacks as well as cooking. It’s not nearly as salty as some brands.

Recipe for the best grilled feta cheese sandwich ever

If you can get ciabatta or sourdough, those are the best breads for this sandwich. It looks like a lot to do, but it only takes about 20 minutes to make.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Skillet with a lid
• Oven or toaster oven
• Slices of bread (see the note above)
• Feta cheese, one block
• Mozzarella cheese (or Monterey Jack)
• Roasted red peppers, sliced
• Fresh spinach leaves (at least 2 cups per sandwich)
• Unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons
• Fresh oregano, 1 tablespoon of sliced leaves
• 2 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 2 shallots, sliced
• Black pepper to taste
• Olive oil, 2 tablespoons
• Water, a quarter cup

Here’s what to do:

Set the oven to broil and let it preheat. You can toast the sliced bread there or place slices in a toaster oven. Either way, you’ll want slightly browned, crispy bread ready to use after you prepare the next part.

Pour a tablespoon of olive oil into a skillet and heat it on high.

Add the garlic and shallots and cook until they soften (about 3 to 4 minutes). Reduce heat to medium.

Toss in the oregano and red peppers and cook for another minute.

Add another tablespoon of olive oil and the water, then place the spinach leaves in the pan. As the leaves wilt and shrink, crumble in the feta cheese and keep stirring as it melts. Add pepper if you wish.

Spread the mixture on the bottom slice of toasted bread and add mozzarella or Monterey Jack on top.

Melt the butter on medium-low heat and place the sandwiches in the skillet. Cover them with the lid and heat them for about 4 to 5 minutes per side until the bread is golden brown and the cheese has melted.

Conclusion

How much feta cheese is safe to eat? To get that answer, you should probably talk to your doctor or a nutritionist. When the pregnancy craving hits, it’s hard to resist!

I hope this article answered your questions about how to enjoy feta cheese during pregnancy. If you have a favorite brand or recipe you’d like to share, feel free to leave me a comment below.

Here’s to a happy, healthy future for you and your baby!

Sources:

1. https://www.pregnancyfoodchecker.com/can-pregnant-women-eat-feta-cheese-is-it-safe/ Can Pregnant Women Eat Feta Cheese? Is It Safe? Last Updated on November 12, 2021, Written by Gina Waggott, Medically Reviewed by Janet Gordon RD, MBDA

2. https://www.healthline.com/health/feta-cheese-during-pregnancy Should Pregnant Women Hold Off Eating Feta Cheese? Last medically reviewed on June 26, 2017

3. https://www.fda.gov/food/health-educators/listeria-food-safety-moms-be Listeria from Food Safety for Moms to Be, updated September 27, 2018

4. https://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/issues/1044/rbgh/about-rbgh About rbGH