Wheat flour -- made by grinding whole wheat grain kernels into a fine powder -- makes up a key ingredient of many staple foods in the average European diet, including bread and pasta. Although the popularity of high-protein or gluten-free diets has caused many dieters to avoid foods made from wheat flour, it contains several essential nutrients that contribute to good health. Product Description Carbohydrate, the family of nutrients that includes starch, sugar, and fiber, makes up the majority of wheat flour. A cup of flour contains 86 grams of total carbohydrates, including approximately 73 grams of starch. During digestion, large starch molecules break down into smaller units of glucose, a simple sugar your cells use to make useable energy. As a result, eating foods containing wheat flour provides the energy you need to get through the day. Wheat flour also contains almost 13 grams of dietary fiber per cup, which helps to promote healthy digestion.