I'm not a doctor, but the following is based on prior research I've done on this topic, and which I believe is accurate.
--Being overweight and being inactive also influence cholesterol levels
--Diet only affects about 20% to 30% of the cholesterol in your blood, the liver produces most of the cholesterol, regardless of diet:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/16867-cholesterol--nutrition-tlc--Various foods that can influence cholesterol include:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/cholesterol/art-20045192--Oats are recommended, but the impact of oats alone, or any one food is limited:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/research-were-watching-whole-grain-oats-best-bet-for-lowering-cholesterol--While drugs (including but not limited to statins) can influence cholesterol levels much more significantly than food, being able to control cholesterol levels without drugs is generally preferable.
--On the other hand cholesterol can build up on the artery walls (at different paces for different people) and even an improvement to a lower (healthy) level of cholesterol usually doesn't reverse/reduce prior build-up, or completely stop that from building up further, it just slows the pace of the build up to a less harmful pace (except there could be some reversal if it's lowered to very low levels).
Foods/items/behaviors that are good for cholesterol levels Non food: Exercise (aerobic, resistance types: as opposed to sedentary lifestyle) 150 minutes/week is recommended
Non food: lower BMI (being overweight)
Fruits, vegetables,
Beans, (chickpeas, peas, lentils) whole gains, barley, oatmeal
o (soluble fiber dissolves in water, not digested; binds to cholesterol and drags them out before they get to into circulation)
Almonds, walnuts, peanuts (2 ounces/day) can lower LDL and other nutrients good for the heart
Plant based sources of protein; beans, quinua
Plant stenols/sterols (2g/day) (can lower LDL by 10%)
Soy (tofu, soy mild)
Fish (is better than meat) can lower triglicerides, (and help prevent abnormal heart rhythm)
Healthy fats can raise HDL (good cholesterol); avacodo, fish, some nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, cashews, olives
Low GI (glycemic index) grains and foods (whole grain, rice, oat, barley, pasta, corn tortilla)
Skim milk
Water / coffee / tea
Mono-unsaturated fats (avacoado, olives, nuts, fatty fish, olive oil, canola oil) (body needs some fats for good health/Blood pressure)
Polyunsaturated fats (omega 3), seeds, tree nuts (not peanuts) (Corn oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil)
Foods that are bad for cholesterol levels Fats, red meat (fish is better)
Refined flour/white flour
Full fat dairy
Fatty, salty, pastries, fries, fried, creamy pasta, processed foods (cookies)
Saturated fats (animal meat, palm & coconut oil, cheese, butter, milk, processed meats, prepackaged snacks)
Trans-fats (Hydrogenated solid at room temperature) (BUT ALL FATS are calorie dense)
Soda (regular or diet)
