Eat hard cheeses instead of soft cheeses during pregnancy.

As a pregnant woman you should be aware of your food choices. When it comes to dairy specifically you should be aware of raw milk and cheese.

Every year, people become ill from drinking raw milk and eating foods made from raw dairy products. Raw milk when worked with hygienically and consumed in a reasonable time is an excellent source of nutrients, but since it has so much nutrients it can also support the growth of many disease-causing germs, such as Campylobacter, Esherichia coli, Listeria, Salmonella, Yersinia, and Brucella.

Getting ill from one of these germs can lead to diarrhea, stomach cramps, fever, headache, vomiting or exhaustion. The misery typically lasts from several hours to a week or more. These diseases are however very dangerous for individuals with a compromised immune system, such as the elderly, children, cancer patients, someone who has had an organ transplant or HIV/AIDS sufferers.

So be sure that the milk you drink is pasteurized and that the milk used to make dairy products you consume has also been pasteurized. This procedure is merely heating the milk to 65°C for 5 minutes or to 72°C for 15 seconds to kill harmful bacteria - it has very little effect on the nutritional value of the milk.

You should also stay on the safe side and rather consume hard cheeses instead of the high-moisture soft cheeses.

Life-threatening bacteria (pathogens) are much more likely to survive in a high moisture surrounding. This is why they cause so much havoc when they get into your bloodstream. South Africans are quite familiar with the preserving effect of drying food products with our biltong and dried fruit being so popular. So although pathogens can be present in a food product they will not develop, because of the low moisture level in the food product. The same applies to cheese - the drier the cheese the better.

Soft cheeses that can be easily contaminated:

· Cottage cheese · Cream cheese · Queso fresco · Camembert · Brie · Other Fresh cheeses

It would also be wise to eat blue cheese and other strong, moldy cheeses in moderation.

Some dairy precautions to take:

· Use hard cheeses, like cheddar, instead of soft cheeses during pregnancy. · If you do use soft cheeses during pregnancy, cook them until they are boiling (bubbling). · If you use hard cheeses made from unpasteurised milk, use those that have been matured for at least 2 months.

Precautions with other foods:

· Wash all fruits and vegetables with water. · Eat only thoroughly cooked meat, poultry or seafood. · After handling raw foods, wash your hands with warm, soapy water, and wash the utensils you used with hot, soapy water before using them again. · Follow all label instructions and pay attention to "use by" dates.