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"   Kids are guzzling a whole lot of soda and other sugary drinks. So much, in fact, that they are helping billions of dollars reach soda companies each year. According to Scientific American, kids between the ages of two and 19 drink a whopping 7 trillion calories in sugary drinks each year. Steve Gortmaker of the Harvard School of Public Healthy delivered this shocking statistic while speaking at the Obesity Society Annual Scientific Meeting this year. More From Delish: Top Local Pops: Best Regional Sodas If sodas are around 50 cents per can \u2014 oftentimes sugary beverages cost much more \u2014 that&amp;#039;s already $24 billion dollars a year to the soda industry just from child consumption alone. These rather mind-boggling statistics come at a time when childhood obesity is also producing some daunting numbers. Of children and adolescents in the U.S. right now, 17 percent are obese, which is over 12.5 million kids. More From Delish: Soda Pop Quiz Shocking numbers aside, there is much that can be done to help the childhood obesity epidemic, starting with cutting down on the 7 trillion calories worth of sugary beverages per year. Even eliminating 64 calories a day from children&amp;#039;s diets can help lower the rate of obesity. And 64 calories is less than half a can of nearly all regular sodas. How do you think the number of calories children consume in sugary beverages got so high? Do you think families will be able to help their kids cut down on soda consumption? Find more great food content on Delish:  Search for the perfect recipe from our homepage Find out the latest food news Get a recipe book to save your favorite dishes Sign up for our free newsletters Check us out on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.delish.com/food/news/a39259/kids-drink-seven-trillion-calories/>