Does calcuim block ALL iron absortion?

I am about three months pregnant and my DR has told me my iron is low which would make sence because I have been ridiculasly tired. In any case she told me to take an iron supplement which I am not doing because I believe it is better and safer to get vitamins from food. The only problem is many iron fortified food like cereal, breakfast drinks, etcs require milk. So whats the deal, will I be recieving no iron from these products? Should I just stick with red meat and oysters?

Not all iron will be blocked by the calcium in your food. Actually, it would only happen if you were taking calcium supplements with your meals.But even then, you might need extra iron...

A low iron level can be related to:
intestinal bleeding(even small one)
diet high in phosphorus
poor digestion*** (I've seen that often)
long-term illness
ulcers
prolonged use of anti-acids
excess of ea -coffee
others...

being pregnant is a special thing...iron is use or many things, and you want to make sure your baby is getting enough.

Id suggest you take an organic form of iron, such as ferrous gluconate or ferrous fumarate. (check out the brand flora, their iron, in liquid form, it makes wonders!)

the RDA (recommended daily ...) for iron is 27 mg for pregnant woman, compare to 18 when not pregnant...

you have to make sure you have enough acid (HCL) in your stomach for iron to be absorbed. It takes copper ,manganese, molybdenum, vit a, and the b complex also need for complete iron absorption. vit c can increase absorption up to 30 percent.

Cereal does not require milk. If that concerns you, then I'd stick with red meat and oysters. However, if you are pregnant, you need to be taking prenatal vitamins. The vitamins you are getting from food is not doing as well as you need, so you need to take those vitamins. Think about the health of your baby before you reject your doctor's ideas.

Your main question: No.

Yes, it is better the get vitamins from food sources, but also consider that you may not be able to get enough for you and your baby from the foods you eat. Also remember that a lot of the iron in the foods you mentioned is ADDED (that's what fortified means)! So, you're not getting it from a natural source, anyways. Eat a little red meat, cook in a cast iron skillet, continue drinking your milk, and if the doc said to supplement, supplement, for the baby's sake.

When iron and calcium supliments are taken with food iron absorption is reduced significantly by 49% to 62%. This inhibition was less pronounced from a meal of high iron availability and low calcium content (28%) than from a breakfast meal of low iron availability and high calcium content (55%). These results suggest that taking regular calcium supplements with meals makes it more difficult for women to meet their daily iron requirement. Not only this certain phospahtes found in milk also inhibit iron absorption. If you don't like taking supliments red meat is probably the next best possible solution.