Enzymes are the workhorses of the body, and when you consume food without enzymes, you are depleting your enzyme reserve.

Enzymes are proteins that do ALL the work of the body. Without enzymes, body reactions would take years to occur. Enzymes not only help you digest but help rid your liver of toxic chemicals, stop inflammation, reduce blood pressure and cholesterol, regulate temperature, make hormones, and build body tissues such as hair, nails and skin. Enzymes are the workhorses of the body, and when you consume food without enzymes, you are depleting your enzyme reserve.

You could look at the body as an enzyme bank or reserve. Let’s say you ate some food without the enzymes to break down fat (called lipases); your body would then have to release its own lipase reserve. Over time, you can exhaust this supply, creating strain on the glands and organs. Animals that were fed roasted nuts, for example, developed enlarged pancreases, since the pancreas is the key organ to produce and release enzymes. In other words, consuming cooked, steamed, pasteurized, roasted, processed or refined foods forces your body to deplete its enzyme bank, leaving you with degenerative disease.

The first area to repair in an enzyme-depleted body is the glands. This is why we start you out with lots of raw, enzyme-rich foods.
(from the 7 Principles of Fat Burning Dr. Eric Berg)