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Nutrition and daily life

Eggs and dairy: safe choices

Eggs, milk, yogurt, cottage cheese and cheese are everyday staples that provide protein, calcium and vitamins. You can eat them during treatment, and often you should. Only two rules really matter: eggs must be fully cooked, and dairy must be pasteurized. This topic explains what is safer and what is riskier.

Last updated: ~4 min read
On a dark navy background, a hard-boiled egg cut in half with a clearly firm yellow yolk.
Figure 1.A safely cooked egg has a fully set white and yolk.

01Short answer

Eggs and dairy are valuable food during treatment. Cook eggs until the white and yolk are firm, and cook egg dishes (omelettes, pancakes, cheese fritters) all the way through. Avoid dishes with raw egg — eggnog, homemade mayonnaise, tiramisu, mousses, raw dough. Choose only pasteurized milk, yogurt, kefir, ayran and cheese. During neutropenia, raw (market) milk, homemade cheese and yogurt, mould-ripened soft cheeses (brie, camembert), blue cheeses and soft-serve ice cream from machines are usually not recommended. Keep eggs and dairy in the fridge and throw away cracked eggs.

02Simple explanation

Eggs can carry salmonella — sometimes even inside a clean, uncracked egg. Cooking them fully destroys it.

Pasteurization means briefly heating milk to kill germs. The taste and nutrition barely change, but the danger drops considerably.

Raw milk can contain listeria, salmonella, E. coli and the germs that cause brucellosis. It is a risk even for healthy people, and more so when immunity is weak.

Homemade and market cheese and yogurt are often made from raw milk, and you cannot know how they were stored. During treatment, a factory-made product with a label is more reliable.

Hard cheeses (such as cheddar or parmesan) and pasteurized yogurt and kefir are usually considered safe. Ask your team about products with live cultures.

03Scientific explanation

Eggs: the FDA recommends cooking eggs until the white and yolk are firm, and heating egg dishes to an internal 71 °C (160 °F). Eggs should be kept at 4 °C or colder, and cracked eggs should not be bought.

Raw milk: according to the FDA, unpasteurized milk can be a source of serious foodborne infections, and pasteurization does not significantly reduce its nutritional value. People having cancer treatment are among those at higher risk.

Cheese and listeria: the CDC advises people with weakened immunity to avoid soft cheeses made from unpasteurized milk. Many cancer centres (MSK, LLS) also recommend limiting mould-ripened soft cheeses and blue cheeses during neutropenia.

Salmonella: according to the WHO, salmonella spreads mainly through eggs, meat, poultry and milk; proper cooking and hygiene are the main protection.

04What happens in the body?

Eggs: cook them fully

Boil eggs for 8–10 minutes so the yolk sets. Scrambled eggs and omelettes should not stay runny. Pancakes, cheese fritters and egg-based batters should be cooked right through. Wash your hands after handling raw eggs.

On a dark navy background, slices of hard cheese on a wooden board with a bowl of yogurt beside them in warm golden light.
Figure 3.Hard cheese and yogurt made from pasteurized milk are usually a safe choice.

Avoid dishes with raw egg

Eggnog, homemade mayonnaise, sauces with raw egg, tiramisu, mousses, homemade creams, raw dough and soft-boiled eggs. Shop-bought mayonnaise made with pasteurized eggs is usually safe.

Milk: pasteurized only

Choose milk labelled “pasteurized” or “UHT” in a shop. Market or farm milk, even boiled, is not the best choice during treatment: heating can be uneven and the milk can become contaminated again. Keep opened milk in the fridge and finish it within a few days.

On a dark navy background in cool light, a sealed glass milk bottle and a glass of milk with light condensation drops.
Figure 2.During treatment, choose pasteurized milk kept cold.

Cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese

Factory-made hard cheeses, yogurt, kefir, ayran and cottage cheese from pasteurized milk are usually safe. During neutropenia people usually avoid homemade and market cheese, traditional skin-ripened cheese, unlabelled brined cheese, mould-ripened cheeses like brie and camembert, and blue cheeses. Baking a mould-ripened cheese in a hot dish until steaming lowers the risk.

Ice cream and desserts

Packaged, factory-made ice cream is usually safe. Soft-serve ice cream from café machines depends on how clean the machine is, so it is best avoided during neutropenia. For homemade desserts, ask whether they contain raw egg.

Storage

Keep eggs and dairy on the inner shelves of the fridge, not in the door — it is colder there. Check use-by dates. Finish opened yogurt and cottage cheese within a few days. When in doubt, throw it out.

05Eggs and dairy: four rules

Cook fully, choose pasteurized, avoid homemade, keep cold.

Cook eggs firm — White and yolk set.1Cook eggs firmWhite and yolk set.
Choose pasteurized — Check the label.2Choose pasteurizedCheck the label.
Skip homemade cheese — Raw milk and mould.3Skip homemade cheeseRaw milk and mould.
Keep cold — Inner shelves, check dates.4Keep coldInner shelves, check dates.
Protein and calciumFamiliar food stays on the table.
Fewer infectionsLower salmonella and listeria risk.
A simple choiceThe label tells you.

06Eggs and dairy during neutropenia (simplified)

FoodRiskierSafer
EggsRaw, soft-boiled, eggnogHard-boiled, fully cooked omelette
Sauces and dessertsHomemade mayonnaise, tiramisu, mousseShop products made with pasteurized eggs
MilkMarket and farm milkPasteurized or UHT milk
CheeseHomemade, mould-ripened, blueHard cheese from pasteurized milk
Yogurt, kefir, ayranHomemade, from raw milkFactory-made, from pasteurized milk
Ice creamSoft-serve from a machinePackaged ice cream

* The table is general information. Talk to your team about live-culture products and the rules after a transplant.

07Key terms

Pasteurization
Briefly heating milk to kill germs.
UHT
Ultra-high-temperature processing for long shelf life.
Salmonella
A bacterium spread through eggs and poultry.
Listeria
A bacterium that can grow in soft cheese and in the fridge.
Brucellosis
An infection that can spread through raw milk and homemade cheese.
Mould-ripened cheese
Cheese with a special mould on the rind or inside.
Live cultures
Living bacteria in yogurt and kefir.
Ayran
A salted yogurt drink common in the region.

08Key points

  • Egg white and yolk should be firm.
  • No eggnog or homemade mayonnaise.
  • Choose only pasteurized milk.
  • Avoid market milk and homemade cheese.
  • No mould-ripened or blue cheese during neutropenia.
  • Hard cheese and factory yogurt are usually fine.
  • Keep eggs and dairy on the inner shelves.
  • Ask your team about live cultures.

09Frequently asked questions

Can I drink market milk if I boil it?

Boiling kills most germs, but it is hard to heat milk evenly at home, and it can become contaminated again afterwards. During treatment, buying pasteurized milk in a shop is more reliable.

Yogurt is healthy — can I eat it?

Factory-made yogurt from pasteurized milk is usually safe. Ask your team about homemade yogurt and live-culture products, especially after a transplant.

I love soft-boiled eggs. Are they completely off?

They are not recommended during neutropenia. Your team will tell you what becomes possible once your counts recover. Meanwhile, a hard-boiled egg can be made tasty with soft bread or vegetables.

How do I know if cheese is pasteurized?

Check the label. If there is no label (market or homemade cheese), it is safer to avoid it during treatment.

What about brined cheese and feta?

A factory product labelled as made from pasteurized milk is usually safer. Brined cheese sold at markets is often made from raw milk. If in doubt, ask your team.

Will probiotic capsules help my immunity?

During neutropenia, supplements with live bacteria can rarely cause a bloodstream infection. Take them only if your team approves.

10Questions for your doctor

Take these questions to your appointment. The ones you save are collected on the “My questions” page and stay on this device only.

  1. Can I drink market milk if I boil it?

  2. Yogurt is healthy — can I eat it?

  3. I love soft-boiled eggs. Are they completely off?

  4. How do I know if cheese is pasteurized?

  5. What about brined cheese and feta?

  6. Will probiotic capsules help my immunity?

My questions

12Sources

  1. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). What You Need to Know About Egg Safety
  2. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Raw Milk Misconceptions and the Danger of Raw Milk Consumption
  3. FoodSafety.gov (U.S. HHS). Cook to a Safe Minimum Internal Temperature
  4. CDC. Safer Food Choices for People With Weakened Immune Systems
  5. CDC. Preventing Listeria Infection
  6. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Food Safety for Older Adults and People with Cancer, Diabetes, HIV/AIDS, Organ Transplants, and Autoimmune Diseases
  7. NHS. Listeriosis
  8. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Food Safety During Cancer Treatment
  9. American Cancer Society. Food Safety During Cancer Treatment
  10. Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Diet Guidelines for Immunosuppressed Patients
  11. World Health Organization (WHO). Salmonella (non-typhoidal) — fact sheet
  12. World Health Organization (WHO). Listeriosis — fact sheet
Medical disclaimerThis information is for educational purposes only and does not replace medical advice.
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