Cookie Policy
How Healthy Cooking Basics uses cookies on our platform
What are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device when you visit our website. They help us understand how you interact with our content, remember your preferences, and improve your reading experience. Cookies do not contain personal information like passwords or email addresses unless you explicitly provide them.
At Healthy Cooking Basics, we use cookies to deliver reliable, secure content and to analyze how our editorial content performs. This policy explains the types of cookies we use and how you can manage them.
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.
Types of Cookies We Use
Essential Cookies
These cookies are necessary for our website to function properly. They enable core functionality such as page navigation, security features, and access to secure areas of our platform.
Status: Always active | Consent Required: No
Performance Cookies
These cookies collect information about how visitors interact with our content, including which articles are read most often, how long readers spend on pages, and where visitors come from. This helps our editorial team understand what content resonates with our audience.
Status: Requires consent | Provider: Google Analytics
Preference Cookies
These cookies remember your preferences and choices, such as your preferred language, text size, and layout preferences. They ensure your reading experience is personalized to your liking on return visits.
Status: Requires consent | Duration: Up to 1 year
Marketing & Advertising Cookies
These cookies track your browsing activity across different websites to display relevant content and advertisements. They may be set by third-party advertising networks and help us understand content distribution and audience engagement.
Status: Requires consent | Providers: Third-party ad networks
Social Media Cookies
If you interact with social media buttons or plugins on our site (such as share buttons), these platforms may set cookies to track your interaction and enhance their services.
Status: Requires consent | Providers: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
How We Use Cookies
- Content Analytics: To understand which articles and cooking guides are most valuable to our readers, helping us refine our editorial strategy.
- User Experience: To optimize our website performance, load times, and navigation to ensure a smooth reading experience.
- Security: To detect and prevent fraudulent activity and protect the integrity of our platform.
- Personalization: To save your preferences, such as language settings and reading preferences, for future visits.
- Content Distribution: To understand how our content is shared across platforms and which topics have broader reach.
Detailed Cookie List
| Cookie Name | Type | Purpose | Expiration |
|---|---|---|---|
| _ga | Performance | Google Analytics - tracks user interactions and page views | 2 years |
| _gid | Performance | Google Analytics - identifies unique visitors | 24 hours |
| _gat_UA | Performance | Google Analytics - throttles request rate | 1 minute |
| hcb_session | Essential | Session management and user authentication | Session |
| hcb_preferences | Preference | Stores user preferences (language, theme, layout) | 1 year |
| CONSENT | Essential | Records your cookie consent choices | 2 years |
| NID | Marketing | Google - stores ad preferences and frequency capping | 6 months |
| IDE | Marketing | Google DoubleClick - tracks ad interactions | 1 year |
| fb_pixel | Marketing | Facebook - tracks content engagement and shares | Session |
| __Host-nextauth.csrf-token | Essential | CSRF protection for secure form submissions | Session |
Managing Your Cookies
Cookie Consent Banner
When you first visit our website, we display a cookie consent banner. You can:
- Accept all cookies to enable all functionality and analytics
- Reject non-essential cookies to use only necessary functionality
- Customize your preferences to select specific cookie categories
Browser Settings
You can manage cookies directly through your web browser. Most browsers allow you to:
- View and delete existing cookies
- Block cookies from specific websites
- Disable third-party cookies
- Enable "Do Not Track" functionality
Note: Disabling essential cookies may affect website functionality.
Opt-Out Tools
For specific services, you can opt out of tracking:
- Google Analytics: Install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on
- Advertising: Visit the Digital Advertising Alliance opt-out page
- Facebook: Adjust your ad preferences in your Facebook account settings
Change Consent Anytime: You can modify your cookie preferences at any time by clicking the cookie settings link in the footer of our website.
Third-Party Cookies
Our website may contain content or services from third-party providers who set their own cookies. These providers include:
Google Services
Analytics, advertising, and embedded content
Social sharing and engagement tracking
Twitter / X
Social content embedding and tracking
CDN Providers
Content delivery and performance optimization
We have no control over third-party cookies. We encourage you to review their privacy policies to understand how they use your data. Your use of third-party services is subject to their terms and policies.
Data Protection & Privacy
We take your privacy seriously. Cookie data we collect is:
- Encrypted in transit using secure HTTPS connections
- Anonymized where possible to protect user privacy
- Retained only as long as necessary for the stated purpose
- Never sold to third parties without your explicit consent
For complete details about how we handle your personal data, please refer to our Privacy Policy and Disclaimer.
Questions About Our Cookie Policy?
If you have questions about our use of cookies or this policy, our editorial team is here to help. Please reach out with your concerns.
We typically respond to editorial inquiries within 2-3 business days.
Policy Updates
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable laws. The date of the last update is noted below. Continued use of our website after changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
Last Updated: December 2024
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