EDITORIAL DOWNSIZED FRIES FAST-FOOD RESTAURANTS RESPOND TO HEALTH CONCERNS.

IN a poignant sign of the times, McDonald's is pulling the plug on its Super Size product line.

Now, if you want to consume 600-plus calories of grease-soaked fries, you're going to need to buy two orders to do it.

McDonald's is hardly alone in its efforts to get somewhat more health- conscious. All the fast-food joints sell salads these days, and the ``low carb'' craze has produced a new generation of messy-looking burgers wrapped in lettuce, sans bun.

Not that any of this is going to make burger joints the new hot spots in healthy eating. Supersized or not, a burger-and-fries diet remains one of the quickest ways to land yourself a meeting with a cardiologist.

But the changes do suggest that the public is taking its health more seriously, and restaurants, responsive to the pressures of the market, are taking notice.

The moral is a matter of simple common sense: Fast food, like chocolate cake, beer or any of life's other pleasures, is best enjoyed in moderation.