Since we use food partly to calm ourselves down and get rid of stress, does fasting bring out our actual selves to the surface?

Nice thought question. You can read about Dave Asprey’s experiences with fasting in a cave in a desert in his book. Fast This Way: How to Lose Weight, Get Smarter, and Live Your Longest, Healthiest Life with the Bulletproof Guide to Fasting (Bulletproof, 6)

He wrote about some fears, which I guess is a part of our actual self. His was a long fast. To the extent that I have mimiced 24 hour fasting (with 2 milk tea breaks), I was able to understand what people mean when they say hunger comes in waves.