Micronutrients play a quiet but critical role in recovery from Long COVID and other post-infection conditions. Needed only in small amounts, they help power the body’s most essential processes like energy production, immune defense, tissue repair, and brain function.

After a viral illness, it’s common to be low in key nutrients. Your body burns through vitamins and minerals faster when it is managing an infection and/or inflammation. At the same time, gut issues, also common in Long COVID, can limit absorption and increase demand even further. Some of the most frequently depleted include magnesium, zinc, vitamin C, B vitamins, and vitamin D.

By looking at a few of these nutrients closely, we can “zoom in” to see their individual roles, and “zoom out” to understand how they fit into the bigger picture to support health. 

Magnesium and Zinc – Small Nutrients, Big Impact

Magnesium supports energy metabolism by helping convert ADP (which our bodies can’t use as energy) into ATP, the usable energy currency of our cells. Low magnesium = low energy.

It’s also a key player in nervous system regulation, helping keep signals balanced, calming overactive nerve activity, and supporting neurotransmitter release. Together, these actions reduce stress responses and protect the brain from overstimulation.

Magnesium is well known for supporting muscle relaxation, better sleep, and bone health.It’s also involved in over 300 enzyme reactions, tiny chemical processes in the body - for example, turning the inactive form of vitamin D into its active form so it can do its job in supporting health and well-being.

Zinc is another single-nutrient powerhouse. It directly supports immune function by helping white blood cells respond effectively to invaders and coordinating communication between immune cells. It’s also essential for healthy cell division, which underpins tissue repair and recovery.

Beyond these direct roles, zinc works behind the scenes in detoxification. It helps enzymes neutralize harmful molecules and supports antioxidant systems, indirectly protecting cells and organs from damage. With over 200 enzyme reactions relying on zinc—from DNA and protein synthesis to hormone production—it influences many systems that keep the body resilient and functioning well.

As you can see, with micronutrients we can’t always say, “If you take this, that will happen.” When the body is low in nutrients, it prioritizes where to use them first. That’s why some functions related to zinc, magnesium, or other nutrients may work well, while others lag behind until the body’s reserves are restored.

It’s also possible to have symptoms suggesting magnesium or zinc deficiency—yet the real bottleneck might be elsewhere. Many biochemical processes require multiple nutrients to work together, so if even one is missing, the process can slow or stall. For example, certain reactions depend not only on magnesium or zinc, but also on vitamin C—bringing us to our next example.

Vitamin C – A Closer Look at One Nutrient’s Many Roles

When we “zoom in” to a single molecule of vitamin C, we might see it helping a white blood cell track and neutralize a harmful invader. Vitamin C is concentrated in these immune cells, directly supporting their ability to act quickly and effectively.

If we shift focus to tissue health, we see vitamin C is essential for collagen production. Without it, the enzymes that stabilize and cross-link collagen fibers can’t function, leaving wounds slower to heal and connective tissue weaker.

It’s also a potent antioxidant—able to neutralize reactive oxygen species and reduce oxidative stress, which can damage cells.

When we “zoom out,” vitamin C’s influence broadens. It regenerates other antioxidants, like vitamin E, and helps build enzymatic antioxidant systems such as glutathione peroxidase. Without enough vitamin C, these systems work far below their potential, indirectly weakening immune defenses and slowing repair.

Beyond that, vitamin C acts as a co-factor in several biochemical reactions—from making certain neurotransmitters to supporting hormone production. In each case, if it’s missing, the reaction slows down or doesn’t happen.

In recovery, we think of nutrients not as isolated “magic bullets” but as part of an interconnected network. Addressing vitamin C levels matters most when combined with other nutrients and recovery foundations—like combining elements that support good gut health, a regulated nervous system, restorative rest, and gentle movement.

The Bigger Picture

While we need all essential nutrients for enzyme function, tissue repair, and cellular health, they’re often depleted during times of illness, exactly when we need them most.

The symptoms of micronutrient imbalance, like fatigue, brain fog, emotional flatness, or crashing after activity, are easy to miss or misattribute. This doesn’t mean Long COVID is simply a micronutrient deficiency illness. If it were, recovery would be as easy as “fill the tank and feel better.” We all know it’s more complex.

Still, micronutrients are part of the recovery puzzle. Often, it’s the combination of strategies that moves the needle - nutrition, gut health, movement, rest, and stress regulation.

Symptoms are signals. They’re how the body tells us something is off. And running low on key nutrients can absolutely influence how well the system runs.

While lab tests can help, standard tests often measure only what’s circulating in the blood, not what’s stored or used in cells. That’s why functional testing or learning to recognize patterns in how you feel can be so useful.

Even with the right foods or supplements, nutrients only help if they’re absorbed. Gut health is where this starts. Long COVID gut changes, like inflammation or microbiome shifts, can get in the way. Supporting gut repair with nourishing foods and digestion-friendly habits is often the first step to making the most of what you take in. It helps the body to make the most of the nutrients you take in.

That’s why it’s not just about adding a supplement. It’s about understanding where your body needs support. For some, that means a high-quality multivitamin. For others, it’s targeted help to fill a specific gap. For everyone, it means supporting gut health. What matters most is an approach that’s thoughtful, gentle, and responsive to your body.

At ThriveNinety, we focus on building a strong foundation with supportive nutrition, nervous system regulation, gentle movement, and habits that strengthen the system from multiple angles. Micronutrients work best when the systems around them work too. Sleep, circulation, stress levels, movement, and digestion all shape how nutrients are absorbed and used.

This one article can’t cover it all, but we hope this gives you a feel for the bigger picture when it comes to micronutrients. Recovery takes more than one tool, but supporting your body with key nutrients, and the systems that help them do their job, can create real shifts in how you feel over time.

Warmly,
Katie & Andrea

P.S. We’ve written Recovery Kitchen Essentials—simple, anti-inflammatory, nutrient-rich meals to support recovery. Inside, we distill evidence about why certain foods help, explore the bigger picture of diet beyond food itself, and include two 7-day meal plans, a full 3-meal a day version and a “kickstarter” that offers a more gradual introduction focusing on making just one meal from the recipe book each day.

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Find the right steps for you: A Hopeful Path to Recovery

Anti-Inflammatory Baking for Long COVID Recovery