Pregnancy is a truly magical phase of your life. And, despite popular belief, you don’t actually have to sacrifice all the foods you love during those nine months. Read on to find out whether you can eat Manchego while pregnant.
SEE ALSO: What cheeses are safe to eat during pregnancy? →
Listeria monocytogenes: The reason why some foods are unsafe
Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium that can survive and grow on certain high risk foods. In humans, it can cause an infection called Listeriosis and the range of symptoms can include fever, muscle aches, nausea and diarrhoea. In rare cases, it can cause blood poisoning (septicaemia) and inflammation of the outside of the brain (meningitis).
The symptoms tend to be mild in most affected people but can be more severe and, sometimes, life-threatening in the elderly, pregnant women (and their unborn babies) and people with a weak immune system.
What foods are high risk during pregnancy?
Some examples of high risk foods include raw seafood and fish, cold meats, pre-packaged fruit and, yes, some cheeses. You can read more about which cheeses to avoid during pregnancy here.
Is Manchego safe to eat when you’re pregnant
Now, let’s talk specifically about Spain’s most popular cheese, Manchego. Actually, Manchego accounts for one third of the country’s entire cheese production. Originating from La Mancha in central Spain, this pressed uncooked cheese is traditionally made using the rich, fatty raw milk of Manchega sheep. And food authorities around the world consider it safe to eat during pregnancy.
This is due to the intrinsic characteristics of Manchego such as the starter culture, salt content and acidity. As a result, L.monocytogenes does not survive on the surface and in the paste of Manchego.
If you are unsure of what cheeses you can eat during pregnancy, please consult your doctor.
How about the rind?
Even though the risk of infection is low, Listeria contamination can also happen during the handling of cheese. As such, it would be advisable to avoid eating the rind of Manchego during those nine months. As a matter of fact, most commercial versions of this cheese are coated in a thin layer of wax. So, you wouldn’t want to eat it anyway.
Cooking with Manchego
Thoroughly cooking any cheese until steaming hot will effectively destroy any bacteria that are present. In the case of Manchego, you can safely eat it at room temperature. But, of course, you can also cook it in delicious dishes such as Pisto Manchego, Mac & Cheese and a quiche.
Safe for mum and safe for baby
To conclude, Manchego is one of the many pressed cheeses that are safe for both mother and baby during pregnancy. If you want to be extra cautious, choose a pasteurised cheese, avoid the rind or cook it into a delicious meal.
References
Safety in Pregnancy
All the advice relating to what cheeses you can eat during pregnancy in this article is based on the recommendations by health authorities in Australia, the UK and the USA. If you are unsure about what you can or cannot eat, please consult your doctor.
Australia – FSANZ, United Kingdom – NHS and United Sates of America – FDA
Nutritional content
The nutritional content of cheese in our table comes from the USDA Food Data Central Repository and cheese manufacturers. We realise that there can be variations between different brands and producers. Hence, the numbers we have used are averages.
Fat
Our fat RDI data comes from Cleveland Clinic’s Healthy Fat Intake resource.
Type of fat in cheese as per Harvard T.H. Chan’s The Nutrition Source.
Protein
Our protein RDI data comes from Harvard Medical School’s Harvard Health Publishing.
Sabine is the creative force behind Cheese Scientist. She is a sustainable living advocate, a climate change protestor and is pro-choice. And, most relevantly, she is also a lactose intolerant cheese lover.
