This was my research interest before my academic career was derailed (by a disease that affects metabolism no less). That’s the reason I feel like the YTF thread is gold. He was very open and honest about his thought process regarding food in a way that most people are not. From my perspective, one of the most interesting things he said was probably the most banal: the rigidity with which he believed certain foods must be paired together. I can’t remember the exact meal but it was something like “You can’t have steak without potatoes, silly!”
I was specifically interested in trying to suss this part out but never got there. I like your model of neocortex and lower brain function. Most of the eating behavior research I’m familiar with focuses on purely psychological phenomena with inadequate appreciation for what’s going on underneath. It’s really tough to beat your vagus nerve and hypothalamus, so I think identifying those triggers, as you’ve done, is the first step in actually gaining control with CBT or nudging. Are you familiar with sham feeding?