I also put my food and water inside the coop and have not had any problems. I would just make sure that they don't roost over the food and water or there will be a lot of everything you don't want in them, and I have found that the food should be at about the height of the smallest chicken's...
I found this article on the Smithsonian web site and thought everyone would be interested in reading it. Just follow the link.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/How-the-Chicken-Conquered-the-World.html
Enjoy!