A comprehensive review of how the beverages we drink affect our health and nutrition. The authors discuss the health effects of a wide range of popular beverages, including alcohol, wine, fruit and vegetable juices, coffee and tea, chocolate, milk and milk products, weight management beverages, and soft drinks. Among the topics of current interest considered are the beneficial effects of wine, the harmful interactions of citrus juices with prescription drugs, tomato juice as an anticancer agent, the benefits of herbal teas, probiotic organisms in dairy and fermented dairy products, the value of sports beverages, the risks associated with the consumption of soft drinks, and the quality and content of bottled water.