The Ehrenreich diet.

• Position: Letters to the Editor

After reading Barbara Ehrenreich's article "Low-Fat Capitalism" (September issue), I was truly saddened by the thought of all the people who will use this as an excuse to continue, or go back to, their meat- and dairy-based diet. Such a diet is linked to many diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis. It devastates the environment and causes unbelievable pain and suffering to billions of animals every year. Shame on Barbara Ehrenreich!

Warren Jones San Francisco, California I have enjoyed the works of both Barbara Ehrenreich and Jane Brody for many years. As a recent college graduate and a union organizer, I feel that both women speak to many of the issues I face as a woman coming of age in the United States at this time. Yet the recent article by Ehrenreich that slammed Brody in virtually every paragraph took me by surprise: Why would a feminist demonize another woman who has long worked to put women's issues, particularly those regarding health, in the forefront?

A great trick of conservatives who detest strong women is to pit them against each other. By beginning her article with a purported critique of capitalism and ending up with a rant against Brody, Ehrenreich seemed to forget the original sources of the low-fat mantra: the American Heart Association, the U.S. government, and many diet-book authors. These money-making sources are the origins...