Escapee -- I am actually quite open-minded when it comes to nutrition. To the extent a vegan diet falls short for some people, I believe there are appropriate supplements to take, and if none of that works, usually eggs are the things to take. But I can't say I agree with the article -- I find it to be somewhat uninformed.
I would say the number one reason people don't feel well on a vegan diet is low DHA levels. This can be supplemented appropriately instead of eating fish which has unacceptably high levels of pollutants. Over the long-term, B-12 can be an issue too and I highly recommend everyone (not just vegans) supplement this nutrient. According to most studies, b-12 deficiency is very common in the US, and certainly not just in vegans. I also believe Vitamin D to be a particularly important nutrient to supplement.
Where eggs can come into play, is in the rare (I emphasize "rare") instance where vegans have trouble manufacturing their own taurine or carnitine. This is not a common occurence by any stretch, but it can occur. Most of us produce sufficient amounts of these conditionally essential amino acids, but there are some people who don't. In this case, a few eggs a week can alleviate the issue. Of course, there are also synthetic supplements that can be taken which alleviate the problem just as well. To answer your question, I personally would not loosen my ethical stance because I could easily supplement the ingredients that would be missing. But, I know others that would loosen their stance and I respect that decision too.
I disagree with the statement that butter would help a vegan. There is no nutrient found in butter that is necessary to proper health that cannot be found in the vegetable kingdom.
I am a vegan first for health reasons (meaning I choose to be a vegan because it is healthy), so if compelling evidence came about to change my mindset, I would likely do so. But, I have not found compelling evidence to date. It is a nice bonus, though, to eat in such a way as to do as little harm to animals and the environment as possible.
Best,
Joey
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