Healthy fats include nuts and nut butters, seeds, and avocados, which provide not just unsaturated fat, but a wide range of other helpful nutrients, says Hultin.
What’s more, Hultin says, these foods can help you get enough calories and provide an antidote to the fatigue that at least half the people who have ITP experience, per the National Organization for Rare Disorders. “With fatigue, people need to focus on getting enough calories,” she emphasizes. “You’re not going to feel energized if you don’t get enough calories.”
While avoiding unhealthy forms of fat is good advice for most people, this precaution may be even more important for people who have ITP because of the long-term corticosteroids sometimes prescribed for the condition, Hultin notes. People who receive corticosteroid treatment “could be at an increased risk for high blood pressure, so looking at heart-healthy foods” is recommended, she says.
Saturated fat can be found in meat and high-fat dairy products, while trans fats are found in processed foods that contain the word “hydrogenated” before a type of oil in the ingredients list, and the PDSA advises people with ITP to avoid hydrogenated, partially hydrogenated, or trans-fats as much as possible.