People tried to demonise me as some unconventional freak - Noakes
Cape Town - A relieved Professor Tim Noakes put his head in his hands and struggled to hold back tears on Friday when he was found not guilty of unprofessional conduct after being charged by the Health Professions Council of South Africa.
"What happened was people tried to demonise me as being some unconventional freak who had suddenly gone from being one of the best scientists in SA to a complete idiot," he said after numerous congratulatory hugs and handshakes from loyal banters who attended proceedings.
"My wife and I decided we weren't going to allow my legacy to get lost because of that and we would fight it as best we could."
Noakes - whose book The Real Meal Revolution promotes a low-carbohydrate, high-fat (LCHF) diet - was charged with unprofessional conduct for giving unconventional medical advice via Twitter three years ago after he advised a breastfeeding mother to wean her baby onto LCHF.
The independent committee made its finding following a protracted hearing into a complaint by the former president of the Association for Dietetics in South Africa, Claire Julsing-Strydom.