The Pregnant Girl's Party Survival Guide

Christmas is just around the corner and that means loads of feasting coming your way. Here’s your guide on what to eat and what to avoid this time of year.

- Christel Geralyn Gomes

If Christmas has always been your favourite time of the year, that doesn’t have to change just because you’re pregnant. If you’re feeling mournful thinking about how you’ll be missing out on a whole bunch of your favourite foods or that you may not be able to get dolled up the way you want – think again! Here’s our definitive guide to having tons of fun this Christmas!

Starters

Cheeses

If you’ve always been a big cheese fan, fret not, contrary to popular opinion, cheeses are not completely off limits during your pregnancy. According to Bibi Chia, principal dietitian at Raffles Diabetes and Endocrine Centre, it’s the unpasturised dairy products that should be avoided. “Unpasteurised milk, or soft [mould-ripened] cheeses, such as brie, feta and camembert can contain listeria which may be transmitted to your foetus and may lead to miscarriage, premature birth or rarely, stillbirth.”

You can enjoy hard cheeses such as cheddar, parmesan and pecorino romano, which are perfectly safe. Soft cheeses like cottage cheese, cream cheese, mascarpone, feta, boursin, and ricotta are also totally fine – but be sure to double check the label to make sure they have been pasteurised.

Salads and fruits