riandouglas: Should I continue praying to the Lord for a resolution to this problem?

You haven't been praying, have you? - I tremble as I type. Desist from this or you will be captured by the holy spirit.
I suspect that the Israelites were under the spell of charismatic leaders, Oh I forgot, that is what both testaments of the bible are all about. We have seen such leaders in modern times use dubious ideology to cast their spell (Hitler with the master race, Mao with the little red book). Silly gastronomic restrictions are part of the spellbinding game, also used by many modern religions. I can remember when Catholics would burn in hell forever if they ate meat (not including fish) on Friday.
Public health may have been a reason for the biblical food stipulations. The chosen people could well have had problems with erysipelas from swine and food poisoning from shellfish. This rough knowledge would not only be a self promotion opportunity for the leadership, but as you intimate, a reason to regard other cultures, ignorant of public health, as vile.

Without the authority of the bible or the holy spirit, I commend you to the freedom and beauty of science. Go forth into a sinless world of theory based on evidence.