Tim Noakes Calls for a ‘Real Food Revolution’

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The current ‘obesity-diabetes epidemic’ will end when people start demanding ‘healthy food’ not highly processed industrial offerings full of obesogenic and diabetogenic ingredients completely lacking in the right nutrients.

This is according to Professor Tim Noakes, a creator of the controversial ‘low carb-high fat’ Banting Diet, who delivered a public lecture hosted by the College of Health Sciences’ Women in Leadership and Leverage Committee (WILL) on the Westville campus commemorating Women’s Month.

A full-house of men and women attended the lecture during which Noakes said doctors of yesteryear had overlooked the concept of ‘low carb-high fat’ in the fight against the global pandemic of obesity and related conditions such as atherogenic dyslipidaemia, heart disease, hypertension and gout.

Noakes called for a ‘food revolution’, stating that: ‘These diseases of civilisation or urbanisation are nutritionally-based. The reason we do not accept this is because we cannot comprehend that our early ancestors knew better than we do what to eat for optimal health.’

He explained the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Pyramid of 1977 which to combat heart disease recommended that citizens reduce the consumption of fat, switch from saturated fat to vegetable fats, reduce cholesterol to one egg a day and eat more carbohydrates, especially grains.

‘I began to follow these guidelines in 1977 shortly after they were promulgated by the US Department of Agriculture,’ Noakes said, going on to discuss the insulin model of obesity, its hormonal model, and why it was critical for today’s societies to consider the Banting Diet in order to curb further disease progression related to obesity.

Noakes said the key driver of the obesity–diabetes epidemic had been the development of the highly processed ‘industrial’ diet that the 1977 USDA Food Pyramid helped establish.

The reversal of the current obesity-diabetes epidemic will come, Noakes said, not from the government, but from the people who, when properly informed, will begin to demand healthy food choices. ‘This means eating real foods, not highly processed industrial foods that are full of obesogenic and diabetogenic ingredients, but completely lacking in the nutrients we need to eat to be healthy.’

Noakes said for a number of reasons South Africans were closer than the citizens of any other country he was aware of to being ready for that change. ‘My wish is that South Africa will be the country that will lead the global Real Food Revolution that is already happening and which time will prove to be irreversible.’

During debate about the Banting Diet, the auditorium heard testimonials from audience members who lauded its efficacy.

WILL Chair, Professor Thirumala Govender, said the phenomenal global response to Noakes from the community, testifying to the remarkable differences he has made to so many lives, as well as the very opposing responses from health professionals and scientists and also the emerging scientific literature in this field, prompted the committee to also invite the public to the lecture.

‘We felt Prof Noakes’s presentation on the scientific background to this nutritional lifestyle would be of wide interest and could also stimulate research and importantly serve as a platform for the public to discuss and debate with him this lifestyle change that seems to be revolutionising so many lives and creating a great stir in the scientific community.’

Lunga Memela