10/15/2026
One of the things we don’t talk about enough with CMT is how difficult something as simple as eating healthy can be.
We all hear it. Eat healthier. Buy fresh foods. Cook your own meals. Make better choices.
Sounds simple, right?
But when you’re living with a progressive neuromuscular disease like Charcot-Marie-Tooth, there’s nothing simple about it.
First, there’s the cost. Fresh, healthy food isn’t always affordable, especially when you’re living with a chronic condition and already dealing with the financial burden that comes with it.
Then there’s preparing it. Cutting vegetables, chopping ingredients, opening packages, holding utensils, standing at a stove. All things that become increasingly difficult when your hands tremble, your muscles weaken, and your balance is unreliable.
And then there’s actually eating the damn food.
Right now, I’m eating chicken, peas, and rice. Because of the tremors in my hands, I can’t reliably keep the food on my fork. So I bring my bowl up just below my chin and eat directly over it to keep from spilling everything.
It’s not pretty. It’s not how I was taught to eat. But it’s how I adapt.
And that’s really the point of this post.
Living with CMT means constantly finding ways to accomplish things most people never have to think twice about.
I’m not sharing this for sympathy. I’m sharing it for awareness.
The next time you see someone eating with their face buried in a bowl, struggling with utensils, or doing something that doesn’t exactly fit traditional table manners, consider that there might be a reason.
Sometimes what looks like bad manners is actually someone doing their best to maintain their independence.
A little curiosity and compassion go a long way.
