DURBAN - The unprofessional conduct case against sports scientist Professor Tim Noakes was baseless, the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) has heard.
The Association of Dietetics of SA accused Noakes of unprofessional conduct after a tweet in which he informed Pippa Leenstra to wean her baby on to low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) diets, as listed in the green list in Noakes’s book, The Real Meal Revolution.
Advocate Michael van der Nest said the information Noakes had disseminated on Twitter had caused no harm.
Van der Nest pointed out that in terms of the constitution, Noakes was entitled to freedom of speech, and that all speech was protected, even speech that harmed.
Leenstra tweeted: “@ProfTim Noakes@SalCreed is LCHF eating ok for breast-feeding mums? Worried about all the dairy + cauliflower = wind for babies??”
Noakes replied: “Baby doesn’t eat the dairy and cauliflower. Just very healthy high-fat breast milk. Key is to wean baby on to LCHF.”
In tackling the scientific argument of the Association of Dietetics of SA, Noakes’s counsel, advocate Ravin Ramdass, cited scientific research that indicated that a low-carbohydrate diet was one in which the amount of carbohydrates consumed was below 35%.
Ramdass said the definition of a balanced diet consisted of 30% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 30% fat.
In The Real Meal Revolution, Noakes advocated a low-carbohydrate, low-protein and high-fat diet. Noakes listed real foods or whole, unprocessed foods under the green list in his book, said Ramdass.
Real nutrient-rich foods, said Ramdass, were naturally low in carbohydrates.
A decision is expected at the end of this month.