Is Yogurt / curd (dahi) safe during pregnancy?

Milk, cheese & dairy

Safe when pasteurised

The NHS lists pasteurised yoghurt as safe and unpasteurised yoghurt as a food to avoid; ICMR-NIN lists curd in its pregnancy food groups.[1,2,3,4]

What official sources say

NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy

  • Cheese, milk and other dairy › Safe to eat: Pasteurised milk, butter, yoghurt, cream and ice cream, from cows, sheep or goats, are safe in pregnancy.[1]
  • Cheese, milk and other dairy › Foods to avoid: Unpasteurised milk, cream, yoghurt, butter and ice cream, from cows, sheep or goats, are on the list of foods to avoid in pregnancy.[1]

US CDC: Preventing Listeria Infection

  • Avoid: Raw (unpasteurized) milk, yogurt, and ice cream (advice for vulnerable people, including pregnant women)[2]
  • Choose these instead: Pasteurized milk, yogurt, and ice cream (advice for vulnerable people, including pregnant women)[2]

NHS: Have a healthy diet in pregnancy

  • Dairy foods such as milk, cheese, fromage frais and yoghurt matter in pregnancy because they provide calcium and other nutrients that you and your baby need.[3]

ICMR-NIN: Dietary Guidelines for Indians 2024

  • Its pregnancy food groups list milk, curd and buttermilk. (p. 16)[4]
  • Its sample pregnancy diet includes curd. (p. 17)[4]
  • Vitamin B12 can come from yoghurt or curd, eggs and flesh foods, and fatty fish is a good source of long-chain omega-3 fats. (p. 13)[4]

Nutrition per 100 g (USDA)

Energy61 kcal
Protein3.47 g
Fibre0 g
Sugars4.66 g
Iron0.05 mg
Calcium121 mg
Folate (DFE)7 µg
Folate, total7 µg
Vitamin A (RAE)27 µg
Vitamin C0.5 mg
Vitamin D0.1 µg
Vitamin B120.37 µg
Choline15.2 mg
DHA (omega-3)0 g
EPA (omega-3)0 g
Caffeine0 mg
Sodium46 mg

USDA FoodData Central: Yogurt, plain, whole milk (FDC ID 171284), per 100 g. Public domain. Values describe that USDA record; composition varies with variety and preparation.

Sources

  1. NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy · nhs.uk. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). Not endorsed by the NHS.
  2. US CDC: Preventing Listeria Infection · cdc.gov. US government work, public domain; quoted. No endorsement implied.
  3. NHS: Have a healthy diet in pregnancy · nhs.uk. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). Not endorsed by the NHS.
  4. ICMR-NIN: Dietary Guidelines for Indians 2024 · nin.res.in. Printed pages 13, 16, 17. Paraphrased and cited by printed page; the text is not reproduced.

Sources checked 26 September 2026.

Quotes are checked word for word against each source page, and paraphrases against the original text. Official bodies are named as sources only: none of them reviewed or endorses this page.

Educational information, not medical advice. Your own doctor or midwife may advise differently for you — follow their advice.