What foods help lower cholesterol?

Oats and barley (beta-glucan), legumes, nuts, soy, fatty fish, plant sterols, and soluble-fibre-rich fruit. Equally important is replacing saturated and trans fats with unsaturated ones rather than simply adding "healthy" foods on top.

Replacement is the key mechanism: swapping saturated fat (ghee, butter, coconut oil, fatty meat, full-fat dairy) for unsaturated (mustard, groundnut, olive oil, nuts, seeds) lowers LDL more reliably than adding foods.

Diet typically lowers LDL by 10-15%. If your risk is high or the target is far away, medication may still be needed — diet and statins are not alternatives to each other.