Rinsing the nuts supposedly washes away the enzyme inhibitors present in raw nuts and seeds that prevent them from sprouting. This, in turn, makes the nuts easier to digest.
This question had me searching the web to see what reasons were out there. What appeared to be credible reasons for discarding the soaking water are:
1. There may have been dust or impurities on the nuts that are now in the water 2. Nuts contain enzyme inhibitors that are water soluble. Reusing the soaking water would offset one of the reasons you soaked the nuts in the first place. 3. For nuts with a lot of tannin the tannin would also be drawn off into the soaking water.
2 Comments
1. There may have been dust or impurities on the nuts that are now in the water
2. Nuts contain enzyme inhibitors that are water soluble. Reusing the soaking water would offset one of the reasons you soaked the nuts in the first place.
3. For nuts with a lot of tannin the tannin would also be drawn off into the soaking water.