Snack time

Has anyone seen the new Sargento string cheese commercial?

A woman tries to walk past the vending machine at work, but is magnetically drawn to it, eying the Crunch bar and all the bags of chips. 

A guy opens his fridge and sees a plate of cupcakes sitting right at eye level, calling his name.  (Who just had cupcakes sitting around in the fridge uncovered anyway?)

A female yogi drools over an ice cream stand on her way to yoga class (or home from class? or maybe she just likes to carry her yoga mat around?). 

Of course, none of these individuals give into their cravings.  That would be unhealthy.  And defeat the purpose of being in a Sargento string cheese commercial. 

Instead, they all turn to - you guessed it - Sargento string cheese. 

Craving stopped.  End of commercial. 

My problem with this, other than the fact that two of them eat it wrong - it's string cheese.  You're supposed to rip off strings to eat.  Not bite a whole piece off like some sort of animal. - is that, if they really are craving sweets, the odds that cheese is going to satisfy that craving is probably pretty slim. 

I'm not debating the fact that Sargento string cheese is probably a very satisfying snack (although I prefer Polly-O).  But, in my experience, if I'm craving something sweet (like they apparently are in the commercial), something cheesy just isn't going to cut it. 

And if I'm craving something crunch, or salty, or savory, sweet isn't going to cut it.  In fact, if I'm trying to beat a craving, I need something that is at least along the same lines of what I'm craving.  Here are some of my favorites craving substitutes.

• Apple with peanut butter - get a sweet apple like a fuji or gala to up to sweet tooth satisfaction
• Homemade granola - mix in some raisins, craisins, mini chocolate chips, dried fruit, etc. to really please your sweet tooth.  It also has a really satisfying crunch to it.
• Two dove dark chocolate squares with a little schmear of peanut butter- sometimes, if you want chocolate, you just have to have chocolate.  The peanut butter makes it more filling.
• Hot chocolate made with 1% or 2% milk really hits the spot in the winter when I need something sweet.
• Fiber one oats and chocolate bars are sweet and filling.
• Pretzel crisps are always a great substitute for chips.  They come in lots of great flavors and offer a really satisfying crunch.  Dip them in some bean dip or hummus for an extra filling snack. 
• A piece of whole wheat bread with a little cookie butter on it - this reminds me of having cinnamon toast when I was growing up.  It's a little sweet and a little comfort food all in one.
• My favorite salty snack is edamame (in the shells), with a little sea salt sprinkled on top.  It also takes a while to get all of the edamame out of the shells, so it takes some time to eat.
• I love red peppers (or yellow or orange, when they're not super expensive) with garlic hummus when I need something crunchy and filling.  Other veggies would work as well.
• Nature valley bars provide a very satisfying crunch - just be careful when you eat them or you'll find crumbs everywhere.
• Popcorn is also always a great option.  Get the plain kind and you can dress it up however you want.  I usually stick with salt (yum, salty and crunchy) and maybe a little spray butter or olive oil, to get the salt to stick, but my husband loves to add jalapeno powder to his to give it a kick.
• Greek yogurt is great for all sorts of cravings. Add some honey for a sweet snack, some granola or cereal for a crunchy snack.

While these often do the trick, they don't always.  Sometimes, I just really need to eat what I've been craving (like the Cool Ranch Doritos I had the other day after craving them for two days straight). 

And I'm totally fine with that.