Eggs and Cheese

I love both eggs and cheese but am wondering how safe it is to consume them now I'm pregnant - there seems to be so much conflicting advice out there!

Can I still eat omelettes that aren't cooked to rubberiness, soft-boiled eggs, soft scrambled eggs and poached eggs?

Can I eat brie, camembert and goat's cheese if they are pasteurised, or are soft cheeses off limits no matter how they are prepared?

Thanks for any advice. I'm just a little confused right now on what sensible guidelines should be. I don't want to put my little bean at risk, but nor does the risk of eating pasteurised brie seem that high to me at first glance.

I would stay away from the soft boiled/not fully cooked eggs.  But, other than that you should be ok.  The main concern with them is the salmanella (sp?) you could get from eating them not fully cooked.  They don't have to be rubberized, just make sure they are cooked through. 

As long as your cheese are pasturized they should be ok too.  Double check and see what the DR says.

I ate eggs every day when I was most recently pregnant. I mostly nuked them in the microwave until they were fully cooked but I would eat them over-medium on occasion. Keep in mind that anything with raw egg in it is supposed to be avoided. Oh how I missed my caesar salads!

Soft cheeses are supposedly a no-no as are the "moldy" cheeses. Everything I read said that soft cheese ARE OKAY as long as they are pasteurized. I ate pasteurized feta twice a day, every day. I did avoid brie and goats just because the settings I would eat them in, there was no way to know if they were pasteurized or not.

Mollie0516 is right about the egg issue. It's all about salmonella. It's not so bad for adults but for a baby in utero, it can be pretty detrimental (along with listeriosis, fifth disease, chicken pox and rubella).

The American Pregnancy Association has a pretty comprehensive list of foods to avoid. Here's what it says about soft cheese:

"Soft Cheeses: Imported soft cheeses may contain bacteria called Listeria, which can cause miscarriage. Listeria has the ability to cross the placenta and may infect the baby leading to infection or blood poisoning, which can be life-threatening. You would need to avoid soft cheeses such as: Brie, Camembert, Roquefort, Feta, Gorgonzola and Mexican style cheeses that include queso blanco and queso fresco, unless they clearly state that they are made from pasteurized milk. All soft non-imported cheeses made with pasteurized milk are safe to eat."

Hmm. Okay, thanks guys.

I think I will make an effort to cook my eggs a little more. When I cook omelettes I cook them to the French requirement of baveuse - "like spit" - so they are still just starting to set on the insides... looks like that's the end of that for a while.

If I eat cheese it is usually a cheese I have bought myself so I can probably check the labels to check if its pasteurised or not. Pasteurised cheeses I will probably eat - I've always been a cheese lover but now I'm craving it something mad so if it's not on the banned list, I'm a very happy camper!

Thanks again.

Not only are eggs and cheese great they are great for you in pregnancy. As long as you follow some guild lines as stated above.  The problem with cheese is pasteurized cheese, as long as it's been pasteurized it's ok.

Oh and eat eggs like crazy they are full of brain building fats and protein that help you have a super strong and healthy pregnancy!  I follow the brewer pregnancy diet which requires you have two eggs a day, it is great to keep away pre eclampsia.

Nothing keeps away pre-eclampsia because they don't know what causes it....

Eggs are good for you - and baby - just make sure they are completely cooked.