Maybe if you were a Boomer from Left 4 Dead, going around projectile vomiting on your victims, obscuring their vision and summoning hordes, food poisoning would be fun.

But in reality, food poisoning from harmful pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes can have you needing healing potions for days, weeks or even eternity.

Of course you need to eat when playing an MMORPG for 12 hours, but make sure you don’t leave your food out that long.

The Unites States Department of Agriculture advises consumers not to leave perishable food out for more than two hours. Food and perishable drinks left at room temperature (68-77 degrees F) longer than two hours should be discarded, because the temperature is within the FDA Food Code’s danger zone, 40-140 degrees F. When you leave perishable food in the danger zone, foodborne bacteria can grow and make you sick if you eat it.

Common symptoms of food poisoning include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal cramping.  Symptoms can develop rapidly, within a half-hour, or slowly, worsening over days to weeks. Often food poisoning is not serious, running its course in 24-48 hours, but sometimes the complications from food poisoning are worse. Some bacteria can produce toxins in food that can cause kidney failure, comas or even death.

Remember these safety tips to avoid food poisoning:

• Cook your foods to the correct temperature to kill potential bacteria. See EDB’s temperature guide, here.
• Don’t eat perishable foods that were left out at room temperature for more than two hours. This includes your overnight pizza and chilled beverages such as milk.
• Don’t eat expired foods. Know when to ditch food and when it's still good, with EDB’s guide, here.
• Keep your kitchen and eating area clean to avoid cross contamination. Learn how to effectively clean up with EDB’s guide, here.