My mother is having very loose stool and sometimes does not make it to the commode. Is it what she is eating?

white rice . im racist , but how did you know ?
lol . " jim jeffries " .
its almost the perfect food . it requires minimal energy for digestion , per the energy derived ..
at least with rice you can dope it up with peaches or apricots or something ..

Artificial sweeteners can send the bowels into overdrive.

You might start by asking what is she *not* eating in terms of real food. Some whole foods like roasted yams have plenty of fiber but also are protective to the stomach lining. Evaluate and try to keep a regular daily diet depending on what your mom likes. There is also the option of adding beneficial probiotics. VSL probiotics are high quality and available with no prescription through most larger pharmacies. The capsules do need to be kept in the refrigerator to retain potency. Remember that all sugars tend to mess with gut bacteria - so limit sugar, carbonated beverages and high fructose corn syrup as much as you can. A good source to balance the diet is Dr. Gourmet online- it is a free site and has information and recipes for all special diets, including coumadin.

She might have SIBO, small intestine bacteria overgrowth. Get her to a gastroenterologist for testing and treatment.

I've been having diarrhea off and on today-- am thinking that it might be due to the acid-reducing pills that I recently began taking.

It is not the texture of the food that makes the difference, pureed chicken is still just chicken after all. How long has this been going on? It could just be a stomach upset, all of us have bouts of diarrhea or constipation in our lives, but if it is new or prolonged it is worth mentioning to her doctors. It could be a side effect of medication, it could be some specific foods she is eating, or it could be something else.
You might want to pick up some incontinence briefs for her until you get this figured out.

Aidairma, sometimes as one ages he/she can no longer process dairy products.

That happened to my Dad, so now he uses Lactose-free milk and lactose-free ice cream. It made a big different. Try lactose-free products for two weeks and see if there is any change [all grocery stores carry these products, the lactose-free milk is right next to the regular milk].

The important thing is what color is the stool? Is it digested or undigested? Odor should also be a clue, does it smell like poop or is the odor sour (undigested) food? If she is not digesting properly, ask the MD to send out a dietician for a consult.