Editorial & Informational Platform
Cookie Policy
This page explains how Balanced Meal Academy uses cookies and similar tracking technologies on our website. We're committed to transparency about our data practices and your privacy rights.
Last updated: | Location: Friedrichstraße 131, Leipzig
The information on this site is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.
Quick Overview
- ✓ We use cookies to improve your browsing experience and understand how readers use our content
- ✓ You can control cookie preferences and opt-out at any time through your browser settings
- ✓ No personal information is sold to third parties
- ✓ Essential cookies necessary for site function cannot be disabled
What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit our website. They're commonly used across the internet to remember information about your visit, improve user experience, and measure content performance. Each cookie contains a unique identifier and may store information such as your preferences, language settings, or browsing activity.
Cookies are not harmful programs and cannot install malware. However, they do collect data, which is why transparency about their use is important. Our editorial team is committed to using cookies responsibly and only for legitimate purposes related to content delivery and analytics.
Types of Cookies We Use
● Essential Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function properly. They enable basic features like page navigation and access to secure areas. Without these cookies, our site cannot operate effectively.
Status: Cannot be disabled
● Performance & Analytics Cookies
We use these cookies to understand how readers interact with our articles and editorial content. They help us identify which topics are most popular, how long readers spend on articles, and which pages are visited most frequently. This information helps our editorial team create better content.
Status: Can be disabled
● Functional Cookies
These cookies remember your preferences and choices, such as your preferred language, text size, or theme preference (light/dark mode). They enhance your browsing experience by personalizing content delivery based on your settings.
Status: Can be disabled
● Targeting & Third-Party Cookies
Third-party partners may place cookies on our site for analytics and advertising purposes. These cookies may track your browsing across multiple websites. You can control these through your privacy settings and browser tools.
Status: Can be disabled
How We Use Cookies
Content Performance
We analyze which articles and topics generate the most reader engagement, helping our editorial team make informed decisions about future content.
User Experience
Cookies remember your preferences, such as language selection, font size, and layout preferences, ensuring a consistent experience across visits.
Security
Some cookies help protect your account and detect fraudulent activity or unauthorized access attempts to our platform.
Site Functionality
Essential cookies enable core features like logging in, navigating between pages, and accessing protected content areas.
Important: We do not use cookies to track your personal information for sale to advertisers. Our focus is on understanding aggregate content performance to serve our readers better.
Cookie List
Below is a detailed list of the cookies we use on Balanced Meal Academy:
| Cookie Name | Type | Duration | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| PHPSESSID | Essential | Session | Maintains user session and authentication |
| bma_preferences | Functional | 1 year | Stores user preference settings (theme, language) |
| _ga | Analytics | 2 years | Google Analytics - user identification |
| _gid | Analytics | 24 hours | Google Analytics - session identification |
| _gat | Analytics | 1 minute | Google Analytics - request throttling |
| bma_article_history | Functional | 30 days | Tracks recently read articles for personalization |
| cookie_consent | Essential | 1 year | Stores user's cookie consent preferences |
| utm_source | Analytics | Session | Tracks referral source for content attribution |
Note: Cookie names and durations may vary based on third-party service updates. We regularly review and update this list.
Managing Your Cookies
Browser Settings
You can control cookies through your web browser settings. Most browsers allow you to:
- View cookies stored on your device
- Block new cookies from being set
- Delete existing cookies
- Receive notifications when cookies are set
- Block cookies from specific websites
Instructions for major browsers: Chrome | Firefox | Safari | Edge
Cookie Consent Banner
When you first visit our site, a consent banner appears allowing you to accept or reject non-essential cookies. You can change your preferences at any time by adjusting your cookie settings in your account or through this page.
Do Not Track (DNT)
If your browser supports Do Not Track, we respect this preference. However, our site may not function optimally if all cookies are disabled, particularly essential cookies required for security and navigation.
Privacy-Enhancing Tools
You can further protect your privacy using:
- Incognito or Private browsing modes
- VPN services to mask your IP address
- Browser extensions that block trackers
- Privacy-focused search engines
Third-Party Services & Cookies
Our website integrates with third-party services that may set their own cookies. These services help us deliver analytics, improve site performance, and provide better content recommendations to our readers. While we carefully select our partners, we recommend reviewing their privacy policies.
Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics to understand content performance and reader engagement. Google may use this data according to their privacy policies.
View Google's Privacy Policy →Content Delivery Networks (CDN)
We use CDN services to deliver images and media files faster to our readers worldwide. These services may log access information for performance monitoring.
Social Media Widgets
If our articles include social media sharing buttons or embedded content, those platforms may set their own cookies to track engagement and provide personalized experiences.
We strive to use only necessary third-party services and regularly audit our partners' privacy practices.
Data Retention & Security
How Long We Keep Data
We retain cookie data only as long as necessary to serve the specified purpose. Essential cookies are maintained for the duration of your visit, while functional and analytical cookies may persist for days to years depending on their function (see our cookie table above).
You can delete cookies at any time through your browser settings, and we recommend doing this periodically.