The hearing would run until February 17.

In November last year, proceedings, initially expected to run for seven days, ended with only witnesses for the complainant being heard.

Noakes, whose book The Real Meal Revolution promotes a low carb, high fat (LCHF) lifestyle, was called before the council after a complaint was lodged by the former president of the Association for Dietetics in SA, Claire Julsing-Strydom.

The complaint centred on a tweet from Noakes to a mother who asked what foods she should feed her baby.

Noakes, in a Twitter posting, advised the mother to wean her child on to low carbohydrate, high fat foods.

The tweet read: "Baby doesn't eat the dairy and cauliflower. Just very healthy high fat breast milk. Key is to ween [sic] baby on to LCHF."

According to the HPCSA, Noakes acted in a manner not in accordance with the norms and standards of the profession by providing "unconventional advice on breastfeeding babies".

The HPCSA was expected to call five witnesses, but on Monday, November 30, announced an additional witness, bioethicist Professor Willem Pienaar.

He would testify during the February proceedings as Noakes’s team argued they had insufficient time to prepare to cross-examine the witness.

Noakes's team planned to call on testimony from two international experts - New Zealand dietitian Caryn Zinn and Canadian professor Stephen Cunnane. Noakes was also expected to testify.

The HPCSA is paying for the hearing.

-News24.com