Seriously - no blue cheese dressing?

epphd · May 2009

I went out for happy hour with some friends from work past and present - one of whom is 34 weeks pregnant. I haven't seen her since well before her pregnancy, so I have no idea if this is what she is always like as a pregnant person. First off - yes people were asking her about her pregnancy and yes, of course she should answer. (She's one of those pergnant women who is pregnant only in the belly - it's disgusting - not that I'm jealous) But it seemed like everything she said was in relation to pregnancy - everything. It made me feel anxious and sad and jealous - and I'm 8w pregnant! Granted, no one knows so I wasn't mentioning it but... ugh.

Anyway, I had ordered a small snack of bbq chicken strips and they were served with blue cheese dressing. She decided to order some but asked me about the dressing then expressed sadness... "no blue cheese" she said. I asked if she didn't like it and she replied with "no, I can't" and pointed at her belly.

Really? Blue cheese dressing? For crying out loud I'm sure it's out of a big jug and pasteurized to the nth degree.

I just continued to dunk my strips into dip, fishing for the hunks of cheese and shoving them in my mouth.

ela81 · May 2009

LOL! I did not eat it but I think I will next time! If it was not for this board I would have shoved it down several times a week:)

happytracy · May 2009

yeah my OB said no blue cheese... but I dont really like it anyway.

JCM083009 · May 2009

I was always told and heard no bleu cheese either, so I'd assume dressing made with it would fall under that same category... That doesn't seem so weird to me I guess.

epphd · May 2009

WHAT? Oh cripes. So did I just endanger the nubbin? This suck - I've had it three times since the bfp. bah.

JCM083009 · May 2009

I'm sure you are fine, but generally soft cheeses are to be avoid (feta, bleu cheese, anything w/ "mold", etc) Though a lot of people believe that generally, if it's in the US, it's pasteurized and it's fine, but I'm not sure pasteurization is the only issue w/ said cheeses, so I've always just played it on the safe side.

LucyPevensie · May 2009

I'm sure nubbin is JUST fine. I did skip blue cheese, along with soft ice cream, deli meat & caffeine. Oh and sushi. I was a pretty paranoid pregnant lady. I'm sure many others have eaten blue cheese dressing with abandon and not had any problems. I had one soft ice cream treat while pregnant and practically had a full blown panic attack later so decided no "questionable" foods after that.

AvaLikeLava · May 2009

Your little nubbin is fine

If we observed ALL the food items across ALL countries' OB advise we'd be starving. Just think of all those women in France, Greece, Bulgaria and Italy that eat a bunch of our "no-no" items and live to have very healthy babies

At the end of the day it's what you feel most comfortable with. If you find it best to exclude these items do. That way you won't have any regrets either way.

MewMew · May 2009

In the beginning I was a bit paranoid, but now I realize it's pasturized, so I would definately eat it. I had gorgonzola the other day. I also had brie a few times. My mom offered me some soft cheese that she got from my godmother in Italy, but because I wasn't sure if it was pasturized or not, I didn't have any.

schmoodle · May 2009

I wouldn't worry too much - I'm in the food nazi camp and avoid all lunchmeat, soft cheese, et cetera, but I do believe that the only concern for soft cheeses is pasteurization to eliminate the risk of listeria, and the odds are strongly in your favor the dressing was pasteurized. I'm just super paranoid and don't want to ask the restaurant (nor would I necessarily believe them if they said it was).

CMM05 · May 2009

They just say that you should avoid b/c its one of those "soft" cheeses......but if its pasteurized its fine. I am sure your was pasteurized. They don't really serve non-pasteurized cheeses here in the U.S. and almost all dressings are pasteurized. Your baby will be fine!

I have eaten deli meat and feta this PG (gasp!).......as I also did with DS who is now a healthy 19 month old. Just don't eat it all day, every day

Temp159135562506975 · May 2009

a chef friend of mine told me that it's very rare to find cheeses in the US that are NOT pasteurized - b/c they spoil very quickly and are therefore, very expensive. Only super fancy restaurants use them, or places with expensive cheeses sell them -so in general- you are just fine eating any soft cheese here in the US.

I eat blue cheese dressing all the time. Love my hot wings!

marcuej · May 2009

I eat blue cheese and other soft cheeses on occasion. No problems here! Just eat in moderation and I'm sure you'll be fine. Just think of all the people in France who have babies and they eat the good unpasteurized stuff.

FaithRocks · May 2009

I ate blue cheese all the time and Trig is fine

rispergirl · May 2009

epphd:
WHAT? Oh cripes. So did I just endanger the nubbin? This suck - I've had it three times since the bfp. bah.

NO! Don't worry. It bothers me that even OBs spread misinformation on this. I don't have the link now as I'm currently holding a bottle with my chin to type, but look on the FDA website. They have recommendations for pregnant women. The only thing to avoid is cheese made from unpasteurized milk, like you said. Years ago, soft cheeses like brie and bleu were made from unpasteurized milk and imported. Any cheese or dressing made in the U.S. must be made with pasteurized milk. I'd be willing to bet my house that any dressing served with wings is from an Aramark jug pasteurized out the wazoo. So unless you're about to chow on a nice French cheese, you have no worries. (And even then, I'd do it. But that's getting into personal opinion...)

WhiteysWifey · May 2009

I asked my OB and she said that as long as it's from a jar/bottle, that it isn't a problem....also that I can eat crumbled bleu cheese as long as its pasteurized. I've been eating it all along (in moderation) and just make sure that it's pasteurized and isn't homemade (same thing at a restaurant...if they make their own I don't get it).

Mrs.Reem · May 2009

lol! nah it's okay. Blue cheese dressing is always pasteurized and has to be in order to make the dressing shelf stable. It's fine.

dusk42 · May 2009

The jar/bottle stuff that is shelf stable is fine - I doubt it is "real" blue cheese anyway.

The actual cheese itself is probably fine as long as it is pasteurized (most but not all cheese in the US is pasteurized), but there is a concern that Listeria can grow faster in it because it is soft and sugary. ?So just eat it all up as soon as you open it. ?:)

And apparently I did not read the part about no soft-serve ice cream since I have had frozen custard about three times in the past two months. ?Oh well, avoiding all the other stuff balances it out. ?:) ??

ejgballerina · May 2009

I'm not sure about bleu cheese, it looks like according to the responses it's a no-no. I don't like bleu cheese, but I LOVE feta and only recently found out that I shouldn't have been eating it!! There is a veggie sandwich at Panera that I have gotten a few times throughout my pregnancy that is loaded with feta. I knew soft cheeses were off limits, but silly me thought it meant like the soft cheeses you spread on crackers like brie and camembert. Apparently feta is in the soft cheeses category too. I'm sure you're fine, I think the odds are really low.

alison43 · May 2009

rispergirl:
Any cheese or dressing made in the U.S. must be made with pasteurized milk.

On Good Eats two nights ago, Alton Brown was talking about how the best cheeses are unpasteurized--and how you have to go out of the country to get them as they are technically illegal to sell in the US. You should be just fine!!!!

emmyloustu · May 2009

I LOVE, love, love blue cheese dressing. I had my 1st OB appt yesterday and my doc is pretty laid back. He said what all the pp have said - as long as it is pasturized it is fine. He did tell me to always double check especially if we were buying speciality cheeses from a gourmet shop or high end cheese counter as he has seen plenty that are made from raw milk and therefore not pasturized.

He also said, which I had no idea, that the FDA recommendation for EVERYONE (not just PG women) regarding deli meat is to heat it up first! He then followed that up with, "I have never seen anyone, pregnant or otherwise, die from eating deli meat. If you want a sandwich, enjoy it!"

JGirl2005 · May 2009

I think it's pastuerized usually, but I avoided most dressings not sure why...

I love REAL blue cheese that my FIL usually has and I know that is not pastuerized, but dressing - it should be.

smilelari · May 2009

My OB said pasteurized soft cheeses were just fine. Enjoy the bleu cheese!

somethingchangd · May 2009

Just adding to the "it's pateurized, it's fine" chorus. Unless you're eating somewhere really swanky, that stuff probably came out of a big ol' jar.

Of course this is coming from the woman who ate a salami sandwich from Jimmy Johns *in* her breastfeeding class. I might not be the most overly cautious...

GypsyEsq · May 2009

Adding my voice to the pasteurized is fine chorus. I've had wicked cravings for wedge salads this whole pregnancy and I've been eating them almost twice a week. My doctor's main concern was the amount of bacon I was eating! Never said word one about the crumbled blue cheese or the dressing. Anyway obviously some people take these recommendations more seriously than others but eating pasteurized blue cheese or any soft cheeses have never been something I've worried about. I do tend to heat my sandwiches if I get them at like a Subways but honestly I'm not sure that's not because I've decided I like them better toasted.

abcteach · May 2009

I'm so glad you asked this question. I had blue cheese dressing with dinner last night too. After I was through eating I remembered that blue cheese was a no no, but it seems like it is fine. I will just stay away from it in the future because I am a neurotic.

dusk42 · May 2009

You can buy unpasteurized cheese in the US, so you should always check the labels. ?It is just more tightly regulated, but it can be sold locally in many places (regulations vary from state to state). ?And some unpasteurized cheese can be sold freely if it is aged for a few months. ?

?

https://www.wisegeek.com/is-raw-milk-cheese-really-illegal-in-the-united-states.htm?

?

ETA - but these are cheeses probably sold at specialty shops, farmers markets, etc. ?NOT your dressing from last night, which is fine.

?

Tammy06 · May 2009

I ate it a few times, as long as it was pasteurized my OB said it's fine.

Seriously - no blue cheese dressing?

Re: Seriously - no blue cheese dressing?

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