When the nausea subsides in the second trimester and your appetite starts to pick up, you might be amazed at the long list of foods you shouldn’t eat during pregnancy. One food that’s particularly bad, but shouldn’t be: cheese.

The reality is that most—but not all—cheese sold in the US is perfectly fine to eat during pregnancy. Here’s what you need to know to be safe.

Can pregnant women eat cheese?

Yes! Pregnant women can eat hard cheese as well as soft cheese with a clear “pasteurized” label. Pasteurization involves heating milk to a certain temperature to kill potentially dangerous bacteria. In fact, pasteurized cheese is a good source of protein and calcium, which promote strong bones and healthy growth for your baby.

Just try not to overdo it, as cheese is also high in sodium and saturated fat. One serving of cheese is 1 ½ ounces (about the size of your thumb). The USDA recommends that women aim for a total of three servings of (ideally low-fat) dairy products per day, which in addition to cheese includes milk and yogurt.

Which cheese is best during pregnancy?

Hard cheese (such as cheddar or parmesan) is your safest choice during pregnancy. Hard cheese contains less moisture than soft cheese, making it less likely that potentially dangerous bacteria will grow even if it’s made from unpasteurized milk.

Pasteurized cheese during pregnancy is another safe bet. Almost all cheeses produced in the United States are pasteurized as standard, but you may come across unpasteurized cheese at the market or if you buy imported cheese at the grocery store. This means that most soft cheeses are also safe to eat during pregnancy, as long as the label states that they are made from “pasteurized” milk.

The following soft commercial cheeses are almost always made from pasteurized milk and are considered safe:

• Cream cheese

• Fresh cheese

• Processed mozzarella

These common soft cheeses are sometimes raw, so look for the “pasteurized” label on:

• Goat cheese

• Blue cheese

• Feta cheese

• Camembert

• Brie

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• Ricotta cheese

If you’re at a restaurant and can’t check the label, know that it’s safe to eat any cheese that’s been heated until it’s steaming hot—for example, cheese on a pizza or in a grilled cheese sandwich.

Cheese to avoid during pregnancy

When you’re pregnant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends avoiding unpasteurized soft cheese, raw milk, unpasteurized yogurt, and unpasteurized ice cream. This is because these products may rarely contain the bacteria listeria, which can cause listeriosis. Pregnant women are 10 times more likely to contract listeriosis than the general population. This infection can be passed on to the unborn baby and cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth or infant death.

Pasteurized cheese can still be contaminated with listeria if it is produced in an unsanitary facility. If you want to be extra careful, you may want to avoid Latin American cheeses, even if pasteurized, since they have been linked to listeriosis outbreaks in the US. Examples of Latin American cheeses you might want to avoid include:

• fresh cheese

• white cheese

• soft cheese

• cotija cheese

• panela cheese

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• ranch cheese

• Lump curd

Bottom Line: Hard cheeses and pasteurized soft cheeses are safe (even healthy!) to consume in moderation during pregnancy. If you’re not sure if the soft cheese is pasteurized and not steaming hot, skip it.